


Love Will Find a Way

by litniche



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, Same-Sex Marriage, Smut, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, damie wedding, lots of bad puns from owen, lovers in paris, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:15:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/litniche/pseuds/litniche
Summary: “Dani, when you asked me to marry you, what kind of wedding did you picture?”“The one we’re planning.”“I reckon we should carry on then. We’ll sort out the paperwork.”Dani sighed, knowing Jamie was right. Somehow they’d work it all out. “‘Carry on.’ On a scale of zero to British, that was very British of you.”Jamie laughed; it was that perfect, giggly laugh that Dani had only ever heard herself elicit from the gardener. “I have to keep it up whilst on American soil.”“‘Whilst’ - also very British.”“You like it,” Jamie said, her tone dropping and her voice lowering to a seductive almost-whisper.Dani was silent, stunned by the overtly flirtatious remark. It still shocked her sometimes that Jamie was just as in love with her as she was in love with Jamie - that she wanted Dani just like Dani wanted her.orSans a lady of the lake, Dani and Jamie fell in love and eventually became engaged. This portrays events following the show, but it's no longer a romance disguised as a ghost story. It's a romance! Some might call it a fix-it fic.Note: This is a modern AU and also one in which the Catholic Church would allow a same-sex marriage, because why the eff not?
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie, Hannah Grose/Owen Sharma
Comments: 60
Kudos: 241





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Super Strange True Love Story: My Disappearing Fiancé](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/715340) by Annalisa Merelli. 



**“** _Pardon_ , let me see if I’m following you. You’re American, but a resident of England.”

“Yes.”

“And your fiancée is English, but a resident of America.”

“Yes, she’s English, but she lives in America.”

“And you’re having a Catholic wedding.”

“Yes.”

“In France.”

“Yes, we have friends there.”

“That’s fine. It’s a French parish matter, then; they take care of the paperwork. Did you discuss it with your priest in France?”

“My parish is in England, because I am a resident here. Anyway yes, we have permission to have the ceremony in France. We still need the bishop’s permission for the marriage, but that should arrive soon.”

“ _ Bien _ , then all we need is a certificate that says your fiancée has never been married before. Then we can process the documents.”

“See, that’s why I called. America doesn’t really have that certificate.”

“Did you check with the American embassy in England?”

“Yeah. They say they have nothing to do with this.”

“Mmm…I’m afraid I have no idea then.”

**

The lady at the French embassy had been no help. Just like the British embassy in America and the American embassy in both England and France. “I don't know what to do, Jamie. Why don’t we just wait? I’ll be in the states again soon, and we can get married then.” Dani had called Jamie with clear panic in her voice. She was on the edge of an attack all morning, but had waited a few hours to call her fiancée so that it wouldn’t be too early in the morning for her.

“I don’t fancy waiting to marry you, Poppins,” Jamie’s groggy Northern accent replied over the phone. “I quite like the idea of you being my wife as soon as possible.”

“But this isn’t going to work,” Dani said. She shook her head as she held the phone to her ear, looking up to see which bus stop she was nearing next. 

“Dani, when you asked me to marry you, what kind of wedding did you picture?”

“The one we’re planning.”

“I reckon we should carry on then. We’ll sort out the paperwork.”

Dani sighed, knowing Jamie was right. Somehow they’d work it all out. “‘Carry on.’ On a scale of zero to British, that was very British of you.”

Jamie laughed; it was that perfect, giggly laugh that Dani had only ever heard herself elicit from the gardener. “I have to keep it up whilst on American soil.” 

“‘Whilst’ - also very British.” 

“You like it,” Jamie said, her tone dropping and her voice lowering to a seductive almost-whisper. 

Dani was silent, stunned by the overtly flirtatious remark. It still shocked her sometimes that Jamie was just as in love with her as she was in love with Jamie - that she wanted Dani just like Dani wanted her. 

Dani cleared her throat. “Oh. Yeah,” she finally managed. “I do.”

The blonde could practically hear the grin in Jamie’s voice. “You’re blushing. I can tell.”

“Am  _ not _ ,” Dani said and bit her lip. Of course, she was blushing.

With another laugh, the gardener gave her a happy sigh. “The date is set, Poppins. Invites sent. We’ll have our fairy-tale wedding before you know it. I, for one, can’t wait.”

“I can’t wait either,” Dani said. An older woman was sitting across from her on the bus, looking at her with a knowing smile. Apparently, she was being obvious. “Does it have to be Catholic, though? I know we both love the venue that Owen found, but-” 

“And miss out on a compulsory two-day course on family values at a French nunnery? Not a chance, Poppins.”

With a roll of her eyes, Dani let herself relax against her seat and grinned at her fiancée’s sarcasm. “I still think it’s funny that they have separate floors for the sleeping quarters for men and women in order to keep the couples apart. They didn’t think of us when they made those rules, did they?”

“Pretty sure that’s why the Church refused to let us marry for so long. Not enough rooms to keep our chastity intact.”

Dani chuckled. “You know, I think you’re right.” She stood as the bus slowed to her stop. She waved at the driver in thanks and stepped into the gentle rain, lifting her briefcase to cover her head. “I’m almost home. Can we video chat?”

“Absolutely. I have a few hours until the shop opens.”

“Sorry,” Dani winced. “I waited as long as I could.”

“Don’t be,” Jamie said. “It’s about the time I normally wake up anyway. Besides, it just means you get to see me in my pajamas.”

“You don’t wear pajamas,” Dani grinned as she felt herself flush. She arrived at her flat and fumbled with the keys in her rush to get inside.

“Hmmm, that’s right,” Jamie teased. “S’pose I’ll get dressed then.”

“Don’t you dare!” 

“Blimey, Poppins. You flirt.”

Dani scoffed.

“I’ll hang up to put the kettle on, though, love. See you soon?”

“I just got in. Message when you’re ready.”

“Will do.” 

“Love you,” Dani said as she stepped into her flat. She deposited her briefcase and hung her jacket, bounding up the steps to start her laptop. 

“Love you, too, Poppins.”

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out to be a thing! Thank you to pallll for encouraging me to write more! Love to you all, and thanks for reading!

Jamie was right, Dani had decided. They were going to make this work. She was telling her employer and her students all about it as they finished breakfast. She was early, as usual, which meant she could enjoy the time with her students without a teacher’s agenda. Mornings like this were among her favorite.  


“We have a venue, after all," she went on. "That’s the reason for all this paperwork,” Jamie continued. Though Henry looked out of his depth in a discussion about wedding venues, she could tell he was trying to follow her rambling with acute attention. “You should see it, Henry. It’s gorgeous. I mean, you  _ will  _ see it at the wedding, of course. It’s like something out of a dream. The stained glass, the organ - Flora, have I told you about it? The music hits you so hard that you can feel it in your bones.”

“Cool,” Miles said, echoing the American slang he’d adopted from Dani. 

“It all sounds perfectly splendid,” the little girl smiled after finishing a long gulp of her milk. “But wouldn’t your Jamie want to be married outside? That seems to be where I always used to find her.”

"She was _the gardener_ ," Miles said with mild annoyance.

Dani smiled at Flora as she nodded. “But you’re right. It has a beautiful, green garden. It’s where we’ll be taking pictures.” 

The au pair let her gaze drift as she imagined Jamie in her...well, whatever she decided to wear on the day; Dani had requested no spoilers. At any rate, she knew Flora was right that the greenery surrounding the cloister had made Jamie feel and look at home. When they’d visited the venue with Owen,they had been unsure until they'd toured the garden. Their hands had reached for one another and their gazes had met.  _ This is it,  _ they had said, without words, in a single glance. 

“Will I wear my dress for the pictures?” Flora asked. 

“Of course, that’s what we bought it for,” Miles answered for Dani. “And my suit,” he preened. 

“Splendid,” Flora decided. 

Reminded of her own dress, Dani smiled warmly. It was far more expensive than her teaching wages should have permitted, but was understated enough. And when she wore it, she hadn’t felt trapped like she had when she’d tried on her dress to be married to Eddie. That moment felt like another lifetime. A lifetime in which marriage hadn’t been something she knew she wanted; not until she’d met Jamie. Her parents’ marriage had been evidence enough that holy matrimony could be anything but holy and was most certainly not for everyone. Jamie though--Jamie made her feel like _soulmates_ and _forever_ were real. No, she didn’t feel trapped in her new wedding dress; she felt free. When she’d tried it on for the first time, it had felt _good_ and _right_. She’d teared up as soon as it was on, surprising herself. She'd decided immediately it was what she would wear as she promised _this day forth_ to Jamie. 

Dani’s attention was brought back to the children as they stood, following their uncle’s cue. “Ms. Clayton?” Miles asked. “Shall we have lessons in the garden today? It’s rather nice out.”

“That sounds fine,” Dani nodded. “We’ll learn all about the spiders I saw weaving their webs out there yesterday.”

“Oh no,” Flora said, looking concerned. She held her dirty plate in both hands, frozen in place instead of making her way to the kitchen sink. “Isn’t there something less horrid we can learn, Ms. Clayton?”

Kneeling before her, Dani brushed the little girl’s shoulders affectionately. “I’d never let anything happen to you. I promise, we’ll only study friendly spiders and you don’t have to handle them or do anything you don’t want to do.”

Flora accepted Dani’s promise with a nod. She held her plate in one hand and held out the other for Dani to take, which the tutor did. 

As he buttoned his suit jacket to make ready for his work in the upstairs office, Henry gave her a small, fond smile. “I’m happy you’ve found someone, but I’m unhappy it means we’ll lose you.”

“You’ll just have to move to America, I suppose,” Dani grinned down at Flora, whose eyes widened in delighted wonder at the prospect. 

“Hmmph,” Henry arched a brow. “Anyway, keep me informed concerning your paperwork. I happen to know a good lawyer should you need any help in the legalities," he said with a soft wink.  


“Thank you,” Dani smiled broadly. “For everything, Henry.”

****

On her laptop screen, Hannah was finishing telling her about her day, but Dani’s gaze and mind was focused on her wedding dress once again. Was she really becoming one of those brides? It was hanging to her left, in a corner of Jamie’s old studio located just above the only pub in Bly. At first, living with the Wingraves had been both convenient and necessary, but after much cajoling and threatening on the children’s behalf, she had convinced Henry to return to Bly. Hence, the children no longer required a live-in governess. The au pair found herself staying with Jamie more nights than not. When Jamie had left for America for a jumpstart on the flower shop, Dani had taken the opportunity for the privacy it would afford. Plus, surrounded by Jamie’s belongings, she felt like a piece of her fiancée was still in Bly with her. 

“So, anyway, I’m pregnant,” Hannah finished. 

“Wait, what?” Dani asked in surprise. “What are you talking about? When did this happen? I’m an auntie??” She was almost squealing. 

“Ha! I knew you weren’t listening,” Owen said with a laugh. “Sorry, I put her up to it.”

Dani gave him a mock scowl. “Don’t tease me like that. I’ve always wanted to be an auntie.”

Hannah arched a brow. “No promises.”

Smiling, Dani nodded. “I’m only joking. But you have to admit it - little Owens and Hannahs would be pretty cute.”

Owen nodded. “The cutest. Be careful though. Give Hannah too much of a hard time about kids and she’ll send in the  _ infant _ ry.”

Dani and Hannah groaned in unison. 

As if sensing she needed a rescue, a chime alerted Dani that Jamie was waiting to join their video call. Dani pressed the accept button and waved when Jamie arrived on screen. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Jamie said. 

“Oh, it’s all right,” Hannah assured her. “You’ve only missed these two deciding when I’ll be popping out kids.”

Jamie fixed the camera with a stern glare. “Knock it off. Both of you.”

“Only teasing!” Dani said and thrust her hands in the air in a show of innocence. 

Owen chuckled and kissed Hannah’s temple. “We’ve talked about it, actually. We’re both thinking ‘no’ to the kids question, at least for the foreseeable future. Hannah’s always taken care of other people and I’ve only just lost Mum…”

Jamie and Dani nodded. 

“In truth, I want my life to be my own for once,” Hannah said. “And to not worry about anyone else’s. Is that selfish?” Hannah asked.

Dani shook her head. “Of course not. No one has to have kids and it doesn’t make you selfish to know what you want. Also, you’re the most unselfish person I know.” 

“Right,” Jamie chimed in. “Poppins and I on the other hand--watch out. We’ll be having enough of them for all four of us. I’m pretty sure Miles and Flora will be kidnapped shortly after the wedding.” 

Nearly choking, Dani laughed. “Jamie!” 

Owen burst into a fit of laughter with her.   


“What?” Jamie asked, undaunted. “You love kids. We’ve talked about it  _ extensively _ . I’m surprised we aren’t doing a shotgun wedding, if I’m honest.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “You’re awful. Why am I marrying you?”

“Well I am a bit pretty,” Jamie teased and smirked when Dani bit her lip. 

Owen groaned. “They’re getting gross. That’s our cue. Have fun on your little Catholic retreat. We’ll see you after. Maybe  _ don’t  _ mention the shotgun wedding idea to the nuns.”

“Oh we’re planning to have barrels of fun,” Jamie grinned. “Goodnight,  _ Uncle _ Owen. Take care of each other.”

“We always do,” Hannah said with a wink and then blew a kiss to the camera. “‘Night, loves.”

“Goodnight,” Dani said as she waved. 

It was just Jamie and Dani now. The au pair found herself biting her lip again. Jamie looked at her with naked affection as unspoken but resounding I-love-yous were exchanged between them over the miles of ocean that separated them. 

“So,” Jamie said after a moment. “I finally lay my eyes on you in about…” she looked at her watch. “28 hours.” 

Dani felt herself deflate with relief. “I can’t wait to hold you again.” 

Jamie tutted. “Now, now, what will the nuns think?”

“I get you for the whole train ride before the nuns do."

“That’s right.” Jamie smiled and looked down, almost appearing shy. “Just what do you plan on doing with me, Ms. Clayton?”

Dani drew in a short breath. She loved how Jamie could show vulnerability and bravery all at once. “I can think of a few things.”

Jamie shook her head. “I’m pretty sure we’re meant to be contemplating the holy union we’re about to be embarking upon this weekend, not," she paused before grinning, "succumbing just yet.” 

“This is going to be torture, isn’t it?” Dani groaned, letting her face fall into her palms. “I finally get to see you, but for two days, I’m not allowed to touch you.”

“Poppins,” Jamie cooed. “There’ll be other times, and we’ve got the day in Paris just after. Hannah and Owen will give us our privacy if we ask. In fact, based on tonight, I’d say we’ll scare them off easy.”

“You’re right,” Dani said, putting on her best show of bravery and reminding herself she was not a slave to her hormones. “You’re right. I’ll just look forward to that. What should we do? Is there anything in Paris you want to see?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m fairly certain I’ll be quite fond of the view from our room,” Jamie winked. “No, but seriously, Poppins, anywhere and anything with you. That’s all I want.”

“Hmm,” Dani hummed, letting herself memorize Jamie’s face for the millionth time. “I see why I asked you to marry me.”

Jamie raised her hand toward the camera and, from its movement, Dani could tell she was tracing Dani’s visage on her screen. “I see why I said ‘yes.’” 

Dani closed her eyes, pretending she could feel Jamie’s phantom touch. “Soon,” she told herself as much as she told Jamie.

“Soon,” Jamie echoed.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Kudos and comments = validaaaation XD If anyone has any requests for a scene to be tucked in somewhere along the storyline, I'll do my best!


	3. Reunited and it feels so good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally, fics have gotten me through some holidays, so what better day to post? Love to you all. Thank you for reading!

Dani found airports fascinating. The bustle of people coming and going from all over the world was intoxicating. As she waited for Jamie’s flight to arrive at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, she imagined herself in various scenarios: in one she was going to New York on a business trip; in another, she was off to Bali for a scuba diving adventure. Next, she made up stories about the people she saw waiting for their flights. The family at gate A8 might be heading to visit a grandmother. The young man standing a few paces from her with roses at the ready was waiting for his fiancée, just like her. 

All imaginings came to a halt when she saw a telltale bomber jacket and brown curls, barely visible in a crowd. For a moment, her breathing stopped and her stomach sunk. Her feet started to move before her mind had made itself up to do so. 

“Jamie!” Dani called. She let her backpack fall to the airport floor. As if she was in one of those old timey romantic movies, she found herself rushing forward to envelop her lover in her arms and Jamie did the same. They crashed together, both grinning and laughing. She clutched Jamie and felt like she could finally breathe in relief. 

“You’re here,” Dani said in an awestruck whisper. As she wove her arms around Jamie’s waist, her hands wandered as if determined to feel as much as decently possible. 

“So are you,” Jamie said. She squeezed Dani harder, pulling her impossibly closer. “Oh, Poppins, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you so badly. What have you done to me?”

Dani nuzzled her way into Jamie’s neck. “Only what you’ve done to me.”

“Why did we think it was a good idea for me to set up the shop in Vermont while you finished your contract with the Wingraves?”

“It’s escaping me just now.”

Jamie hummed, kissing her shoulder, and Dani let herself inhale her soft scent. She smelled like a greenhouse--damp soil and blossoms and life. They rocked back and forth for a moment, relishing in feeling their bodies pressed together. They were so lucky, Dani thought, that they lived in an age when they could see each other every day even with thousands of miles between them. But that didn’t replace this. That didn’t replace the way Jamie’s hair was softer than anything Dani had ever felt. And, in person, her voice had a timber to it that was hollowed by her laptop’s paltry excuse for speakers. 

“Okay,” Jamie said at last. “I don’t want to, but we might want to make our way for the train now. I have a suspicion that nuns don’t like you to be late.”

With a sigh, Dani took a step back, but not before stealing an all-too-brief kiss that promised far more. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She held out her hand and couldn’t help but dopily grin at Jamie’s glazed-over expression. 

***

“Welcome to this two-day intensive course which will instruct you on how to start a Catholic household together,” the mother superior began. 

Luckily, Jamie had taken French in high school and had studied more of it with Owen back when she had planned to move with him and Hannah to Paris. Doubly lucky, Dani had taken a semester of college abroad in Caen and had remained as an au pair for a year, learning the language and gaining the experience that eventually landed her the position she currently held with the Wingraves. They whispered bits of translation back and forth to each other as needed.   


“You must use the tools we will provide to not only start your journey as a family, but to begin what will be one of God’s most generous gifts: your spiritual journey through the holy sacrament of matrimony,” the mother superior continued.

Jamie and Dani exchanged quiet glances. Neither of them were particularly religious, though they’d both been brought up in church-going communities. Still, neither of them were Catholic, so this weekend felt a bit like a punishment for it. 

They were on the outskirts of a small town located to the southeast of Paris. The air was fragranced with wild thyme and cultivated rose bushes. However, the weekend did not include gallivanting in the fields. Instead, they found themselves attending classes on family values and conjugal duties. As the foreign couple, not to mention the queer couple, they were the center of attention--especially when questions about sex arose. Everyone assumed, despite Dani and Jamie’s assurances that they knew very little about heterosexual relations, that they knew more about it than the nuns. 

“So, where does sperm go? After, you know…?” a young woman whispered to Dani. The au pair wanted to claw her way toward the window and take her chances at falling out of it. 

Jamie smiled gently. “It swims, Sophie. It goes up through your cervix. Sometimes it finds an egg.” 

“What if it doesn’t?” the woman said with alarm. 

“No idea there, love. I assume they just kind of die off.” 

Dani pondered for a moment how her lesbian lover was the one to teach this young woman about the basics of heterosexual intercourse.   


*

On the second day, before they could leave, one of the sisters asked them to meet in a study room. She sat opposite to them behind a desk, making Dani shift. She hadn’t been on this side of the teacher’s desk in a while. 

“Your union, I’m afraid, will not be attended by the Holy Spirit,” the sister began. 

Dani’s expression became blank. She remained silent as she waited for the other shoe to drop. Was this the part where the nun told them they were sinners for loving each other?

Jamie simply asked, “Why?”

“You are not Catholic. Anyone can see that you are in love. However, two people in love can get married at the beach, in their yard, or a courthouse. What makes a marriage in a Catholic Church special is the belief that God has brought you together by His providence for His purposes. We wonder, therefore, if you have the courage to become Catholic before the sacrament, so that the Holy Spirit will be in attendance.” She smiled fondly at them, awaiting their answer. 

Relieved, Dani smiled. This wasn’t condemnation, but an attempt at conversion. “Thank you, Sister. We will consider it.”

“I’m not sure we have the money to feed the Holy Spirit at the reception anyway,” Jamie mumbled under her breath. 

Dani swatted her under the table, thankful the nun hadn’t heard.

“It has been our pleasure. God willing, we will meet again.”

They stood, and Jamie and Dani each held an outstretched hand that the nun offered. She squeezed their hands and brought them together in hers as she wished them every happiness. In turn, they thanked her. 

Outside, allowed to finally have a moment alone as they awaited their taxi, they walked down one of the meditative paths that surrounded the nunnery. “That wasn’t so bad,” Dani said. 

“Says you,” Jamie scoffed. “You’re not the one that had to bunk with Sister Mary Thomas. The woman snores louder than a lawn mower.” 

Dani snorted, she laughed so hard. “You poor thing,” she said, holding Jamie’s hand. It was all the affection they dared to show just yet. “Well, I hope you feel rested enough, because I have  _ plans  _ for you this evening,” she revealed, arching a daring brow. 

“That so?” Jamie said, pretending to be casual. “What sort of plans?”

“I don’t want to scare any nuns that might overhear, Jamie. You’ll have to wait and see,” Dani teased. 

“Flirt,” Jamie said and nudged Dani with her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we all know what's coming next. ;)  
> Kudos and comments super appreciated! Thanks for reading. The next chapter is already written, so you'll get it soon. ^__^


	4. Heart of Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here's some mature/explicit content at last! Hope you enjoy.

Hannah and Owen had greeted Jamie and Dani with their new Parisian habit of kissing both cheeks. Two minutes in, they were fumbling with excuses to make themselves scarce. Owen said something about having errands to run for his restaurant and Hannah mentioned a friend needing her. They promised they’d be available for a long brunch the next day as they waved and smirked on their way out the door. 

“That obvious?” Jamie asked, rubbing her arm and then scratching her head in a show of embarrassment. 

Dani couldn’t have cared less. Instead of answering, she turned toward Jamie and held both of her arms for a moment before letting herself fall forward into a much-awaited kiss. It was like coming up for air without having realized you’d been drowning. Jamie’s lips were so  _ so _ soft against her own. She traced the woman’s bottom lip with her tongue while encouraging the gardener to wrap her arms around her back to hold her closer. Jamie obliged. She let her tongue dance furiously with Dani’s, making the au pair’s head spin in delight. Somewhere in the fog that had become her thoughts, Dani realized Jamie was pushing them back toward the small couch in the center of the room. 

“No,” Dani said, out of breath. 

Jamie stopped immediately and broke the kiss. “Everything all right?” she asked. Her eyes, though heavily dilated, were primarily concerned as they scanned Dani’s face. Her brows scrunched in worry and her grip loosened.

“Yes,” Dani smiled and let her forehead touch Jamie’s. “I just mean, let’s go to the bedroom.”

“Oh,” Jamie said in a hushed tone. Her eyes drifted to Dani’s lips. “Thought you’d never ask, Poppins.”

“Liar,” Dani teased. 

Jamie smacked Dani’s rear playfully in retaliation before bending at the knee to lift Dani onto her hips. Dani yelped and laughed in surprise. She didn’t know where Jamie hid all her strength in that wiry frame, but as she walked them toward the guest room, she was profoundly thankful for it. They giggled as Dani fumbled to open the door behind her without breaking their kiss. Jamie kicked the door shut before walking them to the bed and dropping them both onto it. 

“Oof!” Dani groaned with a laugh. 

“Not my most graceful moment, but give a girl a break. I don’t know the room and it’s been  _ a minute _ as you Yanks say,” Jamie joked. 

Lifting her arms to wrap around Jamie’s neck, Dani sighed contentedly. They shifted so that her head rested on a pillow and Jamie’s form was pressed against hers. She cupped Jamie’s face in her palms, worshiping the lips and tongue that quickly met hers. This woman made her feel more drunk than a bottle of wine. She felt Jamie kicking off her shoes and did the same. Jamie sat up on her knees, straddling Dani, and the au pair thanked her lucky stars that Jamie had decided to wear a button-up blouse today. It meant she could carefully, slowly unveil Jamie’s skin an inch at a time. She marvelled at the sight of her fiancée’s flat stomach, letting her fingers trace their way up to the contrasting curves of Jamie’s breasts in a pretty blue bra. “May I?” she asked with a finger tracing the lace as she sat up. 

“No need to ask tonight, love,” Jamie assured her. She guided Dani’s hands to her back until Dani felt the clasps and undid them. 

The bra fell easily and Dani couldn’t help but stare. “You’re so beautiful,” she said, knowing it might sound cheesy, but uncaring, because it was true. 

Jamie lifted each of Dani’s hands to a breast in response. “Show me,” she said, her voice low.

After an eager nod and a somewhat frantic switch of their positions, Dani did just that. She started with Jamie’s lips, but moved quickly to her perfect jawline before savoring the nape of her neck. All the while, her leg served as purchase for Jamie as their bodies rocked into each other in waves. As Jamie’s fingertips dug into her back, Dani marked the gardener’s shoulder with a bruising, sucking kiss. No one would likely ever see the mark, but Dani liked knowing it was there--that there was a physical trace of her that Jamie would take back to the states with her. 

Hands still cupping perfect breasts, she dipped to take one of their peaks into her mouth. Jamie moaned and squirmed beneath her. “Dani,” she whispered, and in it, there was delicious desperation--a plea. 

Dani wasn’t the sort to be asked twice, especially when it came to Jamie. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her as her lips burned a trail down Jamie’s stomach to the apex of a hip. In a brief pause, she undid the button of the woman’s trousers and unzipped them. Jamie lifted her hips for her as Dani removed the boundaries between them, then did the same for herself. 

“I missed you so much,” Jamie said when Dani let their bodies be pressed together once more, lingering in a kiss. 

“I missed you, too,” she said. She felt a wave of peace at the feeling of Jamie’s naked skin against hers. There was no more distance, no more miles and miles of ocean, and for the rest of their time together, she didn’t want a single millimeter between them. “I missed you so fucking much.” 

Jamie’s brows twitched in surprise at the harsh wording, but she grinned. Apparently she’d liked that. Dani made a mental note. “Let me show you,” she said, and returned to following her earlier trail to Jamie’s center. 

The taste of her was the same, and it was as if time had stopped and collapsed in on itself at once. It had been so stupidly long, but it was as if no time had passed. Jamie gripped the sheets as she arched into her and asked for more. Dani let herself drown in the moment: it was all here and now, but also a return to before, as well as a promise of thereafter. It was her, it was Jamie, it was them, together.

Dani pressed down on Jamie’s hips as the gardener arched further and further into her mouth. Her breathing became rushed and punctuated with high-pitched moans among whispers of Dani’s name. She was already so close. No matter. Dani was determined that this would only be her first. She would not let Jamie leave this side of the world again without knowing just how much she’d been missed. Her tongue being too occupied to say the words at the moment, she let its movements say them for her.  _ I love you _ .  _ I fucking adore you.  _

When Jamie asked for more still, Dani let a finger test her entrance. When Jamie’s hips angled in invitation, she slipped inside. She closed her eyes as they rolled back with the ecstasy of knowing that the sounds--the gasps and the moans--coming from Jamie were because of her. Another finger joined her first and she found herself moaning with Jamie as the gardener climbed toward the edge. 

“You,” Jamie said between breaths. She gripped Dani’s unoccupied hand on Jamie’s hip before nudging it down. 

Dani’s heart fluttered and her stomach flipped, knowing what Jamie wanted. She let her hand travel down between her own legs. She synced her rhythm there with the flicks of her tongue and the movement of her fingers inside Jamie. It didn’t take long to catch up. The gardener watched her and evidently, it was her undoing. She gripped the sheets until her knuckles became white. Her back arched and her hips surged. She told Dani not to stop, and Dani felt herself fall over the edge along with her as she made a silent vow:  _ Never.  _ Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through Dani, and she felt Jamie pulsing with the same ecstasy. Every exhale from Jamie’s lips carried her name. 

They panted together, spent for the moment. Jamie pulled on Dani’s shoulder in a silent request for Dani to join her further up the bed. She collapsed next to Jamie, letting the woman wrap her arms and legs around her as she laid her head on Dani’s chest. The au pair massaged the base of the gardener’s scalp as she held her close and kissed the top of her head, whispering “I love you,” over and over again. 

They let the sky fade to night and the lights of the city emerge. At peace in each other’s arms, they remapped each other’s bodies with new memories. Well after they heard Hannah and Owen return, they quietly continued to let their bodies remember how well they moved together, losing count of the number of times they collapsed in bliss. Eventually, after Jamie’s hand muffled one of Dani’s moans as the morning’s light threatened to creep in, they curled into each other and sated sleep found them. 

****

Dani stretched as she awoke, each ache a pleasant reminder of the night’s activities. She placed a kiss on Jamie’s shoulder as she reached over the gardener to grab her phone on the nightstand. Her eyes bugged at the late hour. “We can’t call it brunch much longer,” she mumbled.

“Hmm?” Jamie hummed. 

A smile immediately spread across Dani’s lips. She sidled back behind Jamie, tugging herself closer as she kissed between her shoulder blades. “We should probably join the land of the living,” she said between each kiss. 

Jamie merely grunted and Dani couldn’t help but display a smug grin. The gardener usually hated sleeping in too late, but apparently last night had tired her out. 

She bit her lip as she considered a different approach. 

The au pair’s hand wove to tuck itself between Jamie’s breasts. She massaged them gently before letting the tip of her fingers trace down to Jamie’s navel and lower still, eliciting a hitch of Jamie’s breath,. She paused when Jamie’s pressed-together thighs blocked her way, diverting her course so that her nails grazed Jamie’s hips. She slid a knee between Jamie’s thighs, gaining access to her from behind. 

After a stifled gasp into the mattress, Jamie’s hips rolled into the movement of Dani’s hand. The gardener laced her fingers into Dani’s other hand, tucked beneath her pillow. “‘Morning, Poppins,” she managed. “If you’d planned on leaving this bed, you have an odd way of going about it.”

“I have mixed feelings on the subject,” Dani chuckled as she nibbled Jamie’s shoulder. 

The gardener cleared her throat as if to say something, but at that moment, Dani had decided to enter her. Jamie cursed and Dani somehow thought it was the most beautiful four-letter word she’d ever heard. Dani whispered ‘you’re beautiful’s and ‘I love yous’ with each thrust, sprinkling kisses on the gardener’s shoulders, until Jamie grabbed their shared pillow to muffle her climax. 

Dani felt drunk with awe. She rolled her hips into Jamie’s with every pulsing aftershock. Her breathing was labored as she eased her fingers out. The brunette grunted a protest, making Dani chuckle noiselessly. “We really should get up.”

“You started it,” Jamie grumbled. 

“Are you complaining?” Dani teased.

Jamie reached behind herself to pull Dani’s hips into her backside. “Only if I can’t return the favor.”

“There’ll be other times,” Dani said. 

“That’s my line.”

“Ah, how the tables have turned,” Dani smirked. “Though, I was thinking...shower?”

Jamie turned, finally facing Dani, and as a result, stole her breath away. The sight of her, flushed and her hair mussed about, was far too tantalizing.

“You’re right,” Jamie said with a stretch. “We probably do smell like, well, sex,” she admitted matter-of-factly. She leaned forward to peck Dani’s lips. “That is, if I can manage to get there. I don’t think my legs work anymore.” 

“I’m very not sorry,” Dani said, nuzzling Jamie’s nose against her own. She pulled at the back of Jamie’s knee to wrap a leg around her waist. They grinned at each other until, like magnets inevitably attracted to each other, their lips met. The kiss was gentle and sweet, lacking the urgency of their first kisses from the night before. 

All at once and all too soon, the outside world came a-knocking. “Ladies?” Hannah asked as her knuckles rapped against the door. “Owen says if you make his brunch grow any colder, you’re … do I really have to say it?”

They heard a low, muffled voice, sounding like an affirmation belonging to Owen.

Hannah sighed. “He says you’re  _ bacon  _ his heart. There. I said it, which means if they don’t answer, you’re the one that has to go in there.” 

“Just a tick!” Jamie called. “Give us…?” she looked at Dani in question. 

“Oh, I won’t take long, if that’s what you’re asking,” Dani purred with a raised eyebrow. 

“Err-” Jamie’s voice cracked. 

Dani laughed. Jamie could be incredibly smooth, but Dani knew all the tricks to undo her. 

Jamie cleared her throat and tried again. “Give us about ten, maybe fifteen, minutes? We’ll take a quick rinse.” 

They heard Hannah chuckle outside the door. “Of course, dears.”

“Ten minutes?” Dani asked. 

“You said you wouldn’t take long.” 

“To get off, not to shower,” Dani laughed. 

Jamie’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Blimey, Poppins, you’ll be the death of me. Besides,” she regained some of her composure. “Can’t it be both?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Love to you all! Kudos and comments = brain candy.


	5. Girl I'm Gonna Miss You

Brunch was lovely. They ate on the rooftop, overlooking the bustling streets of Paris. Dani and Jamie ate more than their fill, loathe to leave any of Owen’s cooking behind. 

“I think the Wingrave’s new cook is afraid of spices,” Dani whined. 

Hannah laughed, covering her mouth.

“I mean it! Let me put it to you this way, Owen. If you were a dish, you'd be something like this crepe--understated, but with flavor that bursts and a hint of _something_ that makes you always want another bite. This new cook? She's Wonderbread. I mean, she thinks salt gives a dish a punch.”

Owen chuckled into his champagne flute. “It’s nice to be missed.”

“I’m not sure someone who still can’t brew a proper cup of tea should point fingers,” Hannah challenged. 

“She’s in training,” Jamie teased as she took Dani’s hand in hers to kiss it. She took a drag from her cigarette, making Dani jealous of the little cancer stick. 

Dani sat up and began to protest that her tea was just fine, but quickly deflated back into her seat. They were right. Her tea tasted like ruined boiled water. Somehow.

“So, anyway” Dani interrupted the laughter that was still going at her expense. “Owen, I have a favor to ask.”

Owen tilted his head. “What is it, Rambo?”

Dani rolled her eyes at the nickname. “That was one time.”

“You accosted me, woman.”

“I thought you were that Peter creep!”

“Which is ridiculous. I’m much better looking. Besides, after you  _ knew  _ I wasn’t Peter, you put the fire poker down and punched me in the shoulder.”

“You scared me!” 

“I’m delicate!”

“It’s what you get for leaping out on innocent Americans, mate” Jamie chimed in as she winked at Dani. 

Dani chuckled. “Anyway, I’m serious. I want to ask you something,” she said. “You know my dad passed away when I was young, and my mom and I aren’t exactly close. So, I was wondering if you would be the one to walk me down the aisle.”

Hannah held her hand over her heart. “Oh, what a lovely idea,” she said and smiled at Owen.

Placing his champagne flute on the table, Owen reached for Dani’s hand. She grasped it as he said, “Of course  _ aisle  _ do it.”

“He’s got the dad jokes down,” Jamie snorted. 

Dani grinned as she squeezed his hand. Her eyes began to water when she saw Owen’s glistening. “Oh my god, come here,” she said. She stood from her chair and walked around the table to give him a hug. 

Owen kissed the top of her head as they parted. He eyed Jamie. “Does that mean I owe you ‘the shovel talk’?” 

Jamie arched her brows. “If I ever break this woman’s heart you have my full permission to do me in. But that leaves one more question.” Her eyes found Hannah. “Will you walk me, Hannah? You’re the closest thing I have to family. You’ve taken care of me; told me off when I needed it. I can’t think of a soul that’s more fit for the job.” 

Hannah’s hands reached across the table to take Jamie’s. “I would love to.”

“Great, because we have another favor to ask you both,” Dani said with a grin. 

Hannah and Owen exchanged curious looks. “What is it?” Hannah asked. 

“Will you be our maid-of-honor and best man, too? We want you to stand with us at the altar, not just walk us to it.”

Owen looked as if he were contemplating the matter. “Just one question: do I get to pick the dress?”

Hannah shoved his shoulder. “He means ‘yes’.”

“Gender norms be damned. You can wear whatever you like, so long as the Mrs. approves,” Jamie smirked as she tilted her head toward Dani. The au pair’s stomach performed a pleasant, nervous flip at the word  _ Mrs. _ coming from Jamie’s lips.

“Right,” Jamie said, “I think we’d better raise our glasses.”

Owen was first to do so. “To the brides.”

“To all of us,” Dani said as she raised hers. 

“To family,” Hannah said.

They smiled warmly at one another. “To family,” each of them echoed as their glasses clinked together. 

***

“This is really stupid,” Jamie said, seething at the airport gate. She sounded downright pissed-- like that time Miles ruined a rose bush in the Wingrave’s garden.

“I know, but it’s just a few weeks.” Dani said for the thousandth time. She looked at her phone, making sure her own flight was on time, trying to distract herself from their inevitable parting. That, and she found herself oddly attracted to Jamie when she was angry, which wasn’t making this any easier. 

“Exactly! A few weeks--not to mention hundreds of dollars--for me to go back to Vermont and then end up right back here.”

“So don’t go,” Dani shrugged. 

“I’m telling you, Dani, it’s--” She stopped, giving Dani a perplexed look. “Wait, that didn’t take very much convincing.”

“Well, how important can making sure we have a finished floor in the shop be?” Dani tried to joke.

“If I could trust the contractor to keep his word, but he acts like work is poison. I’d do it myself if the landlord would let me. But, no, he hires a bloke his son went to school with. And if the floors aren’t finished, the walls won’t be finished. We have to have the shop ready. We can’t miss the peak holidays, and--”

Dani broke Jamie’s rambling that she had already heard a dozen times before on the subject with a searing kiss. She held her close, nuzzling her as she tried to calm her future wife by stroking her back and rubbing her sides. “I know. And I know you don’t want to leave. I  really  don’t want you to either, but we have so many more years together. We’re getting married,” she said, letting her awe at the notion reveal itself in her voice. “We have our whole lives together to look forward to.” She breathed deeply, trying to hear the words for herself as she repeated the mantra. “We have so many more years together.”

“I’d like it known, right now, that I never want to live on separate sides of the world again.”

“I second that,” Dani agreed and kissed her. She let her bottom lip brush against Jamie’s slowly, savoring the magnetic pull she felt there. Jamie quickly captured it between hers, gently nibbling it and then letting their lips mingle once more. 

“You could come back with me,” Jamie suggested after a moment.

Dani knew Jamie wasn’t serious--that she was stalling their parting-- but she reminded Jamie of the contract with the Wingraves. 

“Henry wouldn’t care,” Jamie protested. 

“I know, but we get that bonus if I finish. It’ll practically pay for the reception dinner. Besides, we can do this. A few weeks and then we’re married,” she said, lacing their fingers together and holding Jamie’s hands in hers at their sides. She swung them idly as she let a dopey-in-love grin show itself on her lips. “No more video calls and no more falling asleep with our phones on our pillows. We’ll get married, go on our honeymoon, and before we know it, we’ll be together in Vermont.”

“At Christmas,” Jamie smiled at last. “A white Christmas in Vermont.”

“Snow will be nice,” Dani said as she kissed Jamie’s temple, letting her nose be tickled by brown curly locks as she inhaled Jamie’s scent in an attempt to savor it just a little while longer. She held them together, rocking their weight back and forth to soothe them both.

“Snuggled up with a cup of tea and a book and my wife,” Jamie sighed happily at their shared daydream. Dani felt Jamie’s shoulders relax. “Okay. It’s just a few weeks.”

“Just a few weeks.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Don't worry, just because they're apart doesn't mean they won't have some fun before the wedding ;)  
> Any kudos and/or comments are super lovely! Thanks again, and love to you all. ^__^  
> Also, don't forget I'm open to prompts to insert if/when I can :D
> 
> Content warning: mentions of cigarettes/smoking


	6. Private Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much plot here. I'm very not sorry.

Dani noted the lack of sunlight as a new patron entered the pub, the wind whistling as it entered noisily with him. She checked her phone for the time. “Wow, I can’t believe it’s already so late.” The au pair and the gardener had been video chatting for hours as they milled through paperwork and tasks together concerning their wedding, the shop, the honeymoon, and virtual apartment hunting. 

“You’ll be heading upstairs, then? Will I be joining you?” Jamie asked. 

“Yes,” Dani smirked as she stood with her laptop in tow. “Come with me.”

***

“Further,” Jamie instructed. 

Dani let her fingers inch further down her stomach, past her navel, waiting and anticipating what Jamie had in store for her. 

“Lift your shirt with your other hand.” 

Dani looked to her side as she lay on her back on the bed. The nightstand held her laptop which showed Jamie’s eyes growing darker and her lips parting. She let a soft hum of pleasure escape at the sight. 

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” Jamie asked her. “Christ, I wish I was there, Poppins. What I’d do to you...”

“Tell me,” Dani found herself all but whispering, a little desperately. She felt her cheeks warm, but she refused to be overcome by self-consciousness. Instead, she locked her gaze on the screen, drawing strength from the sight of Jamie and her own vulnerability in showing just how much this was undoing her. 

“I’d…” Jamie swallowed. Her eyes were scanning her screen as she made up her mind. “I’d pin your arms above your head while I kissed you, for starters. Lift one of your arms for me. Hold onto the bedframe, love.” 

Dani closed her eyes as she followed the instructions. She gripped one of the cold metal bars above her head with one hand while the other remained on her lower abdomen. “And then?”

“I’d touch you, slowly moving from your chest to your hips, back and forth. Yeah, like that.”

Humming as she imagined what Jamie described, she let her free hand do whatever Jamie said. 

“I’d let my hand fan out on your hips and dip to the inside of your thigh. I’d massage your thighs and get closer and closer to exactly where you want me to be.”

Dani moved her hips against the movement of her hand. “Jamie,” she sighed. 

“I don’t think I can take this much longer, Dani. Are you ready?” With a mere nod from Dani, she continued. “Touch yourself for me. Not too fast yet.”

Dani felt her legs stiffen. Her hips rocked into her hand as she imagined it was Jamie circling her center. Her grip tightened on the bar above her head, her knuckles whitening. 

“Jesus, you’re so fucking beautiful, Dani.”

The au pair groaned and felt her lover’s name on her lips. “Faster, Jamie.”

“Yes,” Jamie said, and it was all the permission Dani needed. “You’re almost there. I’ve got you.”

In no time at all, Dani’s breath hitched and her back arched off of the bed. She called Jamie’s name as loud as she dared as pulse after pulse of pleasure coursed its way through her. 

“Mmph,” Dani heard Jamie’s voice let out a small moan. “Fuck, Dani.”

With a small breath of a laugh, Dani nodded in silent agreement. She curled herself on her side to face Jamie on her screen. “Apparently, I needed that.”

“Stressed?”

“Well, I am planning a wedding.”

“I see. How’s that going?” Jamie asked. 

Dani grinned at her teasing. “It’s a headache, but my fiancée is worth it and she’s been doing her part every step of the way. I’m kinda lucky.”

Jamie watched Dani for a moment before her lips pursed and her brow furrowed slightly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Dani said as she slid beneath the covers. She rested her head in her hand as her elbow rested on the mattress. 

“Why do you go by Dani?”

Dani’s smile fell. She looked down, averting her eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“Curious is all,” Jamie explained. “I’m to say ‘Dani’ in our vows and our invitations say ‘Dani’. And, you never introduced yourself to me as Danielle. Just Dani.”

“We never introduced ourselves at all,” Dani laughed softly.

“Fair point,” Jamie tilted her head in acquiescence. “Nice diversion, Poppins, but that’s not exactly an answer. Is it something you don’t want to talk about, because you d--”

“It’s fine,” Dani finally looked up. “I uh...it’s not an easy subject, though,” she said, forcing her lips to curve upward.

“I can see that, Poppins” Jamie said. “You’ve got that smile that you save for when you’re actually in pain. It’s really okay if you’d rather not have this talk.” 

“That obvious?” Dani laughed without mirth. 

“To me, it is,” Jamie nodded. “Let’s change the subject. That contractor might just finish the bloody floor on time. I went in today and--”

“Eddie used to call me Danielle,” the au pair interrupted. 

A light dawned in Jamie’s eyes. “Oh. Oh, Poppins, I’m sorry. I--”

“Had no idea,” Dani gave her that half-hearted smile again. “It’s okay. Really. My mom calls me Danielle, too. It’s just,” she paused for a beat, trying to find the words she needed. “I’ve never felt like ‘Danielle.’ I’ve always been Dani, even though people only ever saw me as Danielle -- the good girl who became a school teacher and loved the boy next door.”

Jamie nodded softly. “Is it okay that I call you ‘Poppins’? I never really asked,” Jamie said, carding a hand through her hair and looking annoyed with herself. 

Dani shook her head. “No, Jamie, it’s okay. It’s more than okay. When you first called me that, I couldn’t stop smiling. Having a nickname meant having a friend. It felt like someone was finally getting to know  _ me _ for the first time in my life. I love it when you call me ‘Poppins’,” she said with a real smile this time. 

Jamie’s eyes bounced around, scanning Dani on her screen. She looked down as if in thought. “Do you miss him? Sometimes? I mean, you grew up with him. He was your friend--hell, your family.”

The au pair felt her heart speed up and her palms began to feel sweaty. Thinking about that part of her life tended to flare up the anxiety and guilt she’d lived with for so long. “In a way,” Dani admitted. “Like you said, he was my best friend. Practically family.” 

“I er-” Jamie struggled. “I get that, but I...I also don’t think it’s right, what he put you through.”

Dani frowned in question.

“He groomed you for years, Dani. You didn’t show any interest in him that way at all, but he pretended not to see it. He pretended you wanted him, because it’s what he wanted. If he’d really loved you, he would have wanted all of you, not just the part of you that he wanted to see.” She paused, closing her eyes and turning away. “I don’t like that he hurt you for so long.”

“We hurt each other.”

“Codswallop. All you did was finally tell him you couldn’t pretend for him anymore.”

“Well, I’m alive and he’s dead, so what, I win?” Dani said, frustrated. 

“That’s not what I’m trying to say. He didn’t deserve to die, but you deserved -  _ deserve _ \- to live. Christ, when I met you, you couldn’t sleep. You couldn’t look at yourself in a mirror without seeing him, and I can’t help resent- no, I’m sorry, but I  _ hate _ him for it. He stole years of your life from you and tried to keep doing it from beyond the grave.” 

“I know,” Dani winced. “And I love you for the sentiment: for wanting to protect me from the embodiment of heteronormativity that is my dead boyfriend, but you don’t have to protect me from him anymore. We chased him away, together, a long time ago. I--” she let out a small laugh under her breath. “I never told you this, but it was after our first night together that I stopped seeing him.” 

“Guess that night was a good one for more than one reason, then” Jamie said, a small smile forming on her lips again. 

Dani smiled with her. “All I know is that I’ve never been more Dani than when I’m with you." She took a moment to let her eyes take in every inch of Jamie's beautiful image on the screen. " Now, can I ask you something about your name?”

With a tilt of her head and arched brow, Jamie waited. 

“Can I--Would it be all right if sometimes I call you Jay?”

The gardener’s eyes held a warm fondness for the au pair as she answered. “Sure, Poppins. I think I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe it is andawaywego who uses "Jay" in fics sometimes. It seems so fitting and cute for Dani to call Jamie that sometimes. Go check out andawaywego's stuff!
> 
> Anyway, thanks so much for reading, because I love writing these two. Comments and kudos are crazy appreciated. Love to you all!


	7. Don't Worry, Be Happy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was inspired by a Hurt/Comfort prompt from ClomWrites. Thanks for the prompt and hope you like it!

“What the fuck do you mean Dani is in the hospital?”

“Right, I expect this comes as a bit of a shock.”

Jamie paced the flower shop, holding her cellphone in a deathly grip. “Wingrave, you tell me what the  _ hell  _ is going on right now.”

“Firstly, she’s fine.” 

“She’s not bloody fine. If she was fine, she wouldn’t be in a bloody hospital. What happened, Henry?”

“You know Ms. Grose always said the stairs at Bly Manor are murder. As I understand it, Ms. Clayton was playing some sort of game with the children and as they ran down the stairs, she tripped. She tried to be a sport, but she couldn’t stand, so I insisted we have it x-rayed.” 

“And?” Jamie demanded. 

“The doctor says it’s a sprain. Should be fit as a fiddle in no time. She may even be able to walk down the aisle at the wedding as planned. She'll be tender for a few days at least.”

Jamie found a nearby milk crate, flipping it over to make a seat for herself. Adrenaline coursed through her, making her taste metal. “Are you with her? Can I talk to her?”

“She’s just finishing up some paperwork with a nurse.” His voice lowered to a near whisper. “In all honesty, Jamie, she swore me to secrecy, but I knew you’d want to know.”

Jamie felt her brows climb in surprise. Though she could count on her hand the number of times Dani had truly made her angry, this moment had just made it to the top of the list. “Oh did she?”

“And she’s  _ fine _ ,” Henry emphasized. “No harm, really. Though Flora and Miles are following her around like sick puppies from guilt.”

“Henry, do me a favor and don’t mention that you called.”

“Oh I hadn’t planned on it. Ms. Clayton is very kind, but can also be quite frightening. I’d hate for her to know I’d broken my word.”

“Thank you for calling, Henry. Take care of her tonight, yeah?”

“She’ll not be going home this evening. I’ve insisted she stay at the manor.”

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Right. See you tomorr--wait a minute. You’re not meant to be here until--”

Jamie hung up. She had too many things to take care of before the red eye left tonight. 

****

“Are you enjoying your tea, Miss Clayton?” Flora asked. 

“It’s wonderful, Flora. Can you teach me? Jamie won’t let me even touch a kettle. She says I’ll desecrate it.”

The young girl nodded, her brows drawn together in seriousness. “Tea is a bit of an art, Miss Clayton, but I have every confidence you can master it.”

Miles put his arm around Flora. “Come on, Flora. Let’s let Miss Clayton rest.”

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Clayton. Pleasant dreams.” Along with her goodnight, Flora carefully hugged her teacher before exiting with Miles. 

Henry stood at the doorway. “I’ll be in to say goodnight to you two in a minute. Brush your teeth.” He turned to Dani. “I’m so very relieved you’re all right, Ms. Clayton.”

“I’m absolutely fine. I’ll be up and back at those stairs in no time.”

“Have you contacted your fiancée about the matter?”

“No. Why worry her, ya know?”

“Perhaps you’re right, but I would want to know.”

Dani smiled. “She’ll be here in a few days and she’ll know then. She can fuss over me soon enough.”

Henry gave a slight nod. “Right, well, goodnight, Ms. Clayton. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you need something.”

“Goodnight,” Dani smiled. She waited until he had closed the door to reach for her phone to peer at her messages. 

_ I’m staying at the manor tonight. I’m too tired to head back. Call you in the morning? _

Dani's finger hovered above the send button before she revised her message.  


_ I’m staying at the manor tonight. Call you in the morning? _

There. Now she hadn’t lied. Omitted? Yes. Lied? No.

Her phone chirped when Jamie replied.  **_Of course, love. Got a lot of business to put in order tonight, anyway. Love you <3_ **

_ Love you too <3 <3 <3 _

****

The next evening, Dani’s lips stretched into a smile as Flora pretended to ride an elevator, disappearing from sight beyond the foot of the bed. The little girl had a wonderful flair for the dramatic and was putting it to use for Dani’s entertainment. 

Miles had insisted on teaching Flora some of her fractions earlier in the day so that Dani didn’t have to work. At the moment, he was sitting in a chair in the corner of the au pair’s old room, reading silently to himself. He could have been doing so anywhere, so Dani found it endearing that he wanted to be near her. 

Dani looked up at the knock on her door, expecting it to be the new cook announcing dinner or Henry checking in for the fourteenth time. Her eyes bugged and she felt her stomach sink with nerves when she saw her fiancée before her. 

“Jamie?” she asked, incredulous. She thanked whatever deity was responsible that her splinted ankle was currently hidden beneath blankets. She grinned and fought the urge to spring to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Might ask you the same, Poppins,” Jamie arched a brow. “This is an interesting place to hold today’s lesson.”

“Oh, Jamie!” Flora began. “It was dreadful. Miss Clayton--”

“Needed some rest - some time off my feet, so I decided to come put my feet up in my old room and the kids joined me.” 

Jamie frowned. “Maybe we should call a doctor.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” 

“But Miss Clayton,” Flora huffed, hands akimbo on her hips. “You--”

“Flora, can Jamie and I have a minute alone?”

The little girl smiled conspiratorially. “Are you going to kiss?”

They heard Miles groan from his chair in the corner. He got up, turned his little sister on her heels, and left with her. 

“I’m starting to like that boy more every day,” Jamie remarked. She closed the door and turned back to Dani. “So you’re all right?”

“Fine,” Dani smiled. 

“But not fine enough to get up to greet me. I’m not so sure that doctor isn’t called for, Poppins.”

“Really, I’m fine, Jamie. Come here,” Dani said. She held out her arms, cursing her ankle. 

Jamie nodded, leaving her bomber jacket on Dani’s vanity chair before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She was avoiding Dani’s eyes, entirely too interested in her own hands. 

“Everything okay?” Dani asked. 

“Why shouldn’t it be?” Jamie asked in return. 

“You just seem a little...oh, nevermind,” she said, determined not to let her ankle ruin their reunion. “I can’t believe you’re here! You weren’t supposed to be back until Thursday!” 

Jamie nodded, still looking at her own hands. “Well, you can imagine I’d be keen to move up my flight upon hearing my fiancée was in the hospital.”

“What?” Dani frowned. “How did you--” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Jamie shook her head. “What I want to know is why I didn’t know it from you.”

Finally, Dani could see it. Jamie was averting her gaze out of anger, and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “Oh, baby, I’m fine. It wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Mission accomplished,” Jamie shook her head again. 

Dani’s face fell. “You’re mad,” she said, stating the obvious.

Jamie stood from the bed. “Of course I’m mad! I don’t like hearing that the love of my life is in the hospital and not even hearing it from her! Do you know what it felt like when I didn’t know if you were okay or not? Do you know how scared, how helpless I felt?” 

Her eyes finally met Dani’s and the au pair’s heart broke a little at the sight. The gardener looked as if she hadn’t slept; her eyes were bloodshot from the overnight flight and worried, angry tears. “Jamie, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to worry you and it completely backfired. I’m so sorry.” She reached for the gardener’s hand and was relieved that Jamie let her take it. She brought the hand to her lips, kissing each finger, then her palm and the inside of her wrist. “Don’t be mad. I’m sorry. It’ll never happen again. If I so much as get a papercut, I’ll whine to you about it. Okay? Deal?”

Jamie huffed and lowered herself to her knees at the side of the bed, facing Dani. She let her head fall into Dani’s lap. “Don’t do that to me, Poppins. My heart can’t take it.” 

“Never again, baby. I’m sorry,” Dani cooed, stroking brown curls. “Come here.” 

Jamie looked up to regard her feet. “Which one is it?”

“The right one.”

Jamie carefully lifted the blankets. Dani heard her sharply inhale as she took in the swelling. “Poppins, that looks like it hurts.”

“Medication is a marvelous thing,” Dani said. She winced as she rotated her leg to gain a better view at it herself. 

“Have you been icing it?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Elevating it?”

“Yes.”

“Is the wrapping nice and tight?”

“Yep.”

“But not too tight?”

Dani chuckled. “I’m  _ fine _ , Jamie. I’m following all of the doctor’s orders. I want to be able to walk down the aisle, after all.” 

Jamie closed her eyes and kissed the side of Dani’s brace gently. The au pair couldn’t feel it, of course, but her heart hammered rapidly against her sternum all the same. 

“I’ll carry you, if you need me to,” Jamie said with a worried smile. 

Dani reached to tuck a curl of Jamie’s hair behind an ear. She let her fingers trace Jamie’s jawline, tipping Jamie’s chin up so that she could kiss Dani at last. 

The au pair forgot all about her ankle as Jamie’s lips intertwined with her own. “Jamie,” she sighed happily. She nuzzled the gardener’s nose as she carded her fingers through brown curls. “I’m sorry you were so worried, but I can’t say I’m sorry you’re here. The wedding is so soon, and I’m a bit useless now.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Poppins. You give the orders, and I’ll do what needs to be done.”

Dani let a smirk show. “You’re saying I should boss you around?”

“I’m saying your wish is my command,” Jamie smirked with her, leaning in for another kiss. She deepened it this time, making Dani’s head spin. She let her head rest against the headboard softly as Jamie carefully climbed into the bed to straddle her. The gardener cradled Dani’s chin in her hands as the au pair’s hands wandered from Jamie’s knees to her hips, then up her waist. 

Jamie parted from Dani’s lips to kiss the spot on the au pair’s neck that always gave her chills. 

“First order of business is to keep doing that,” Dani said in a hushed tone, gasping when Jamie bit down. 

Jamie hummed on her neck. “I think I can manage that.” 

The au pair let herself be lost in Jamie’s attention. She gripped Jamie’s back, fighting the urge to squirm in order to spare her ankle. If it weren’t for the possibility that Flora might burst into the room at any moment, she would have had a few more orders in mind, but alas-- “Jamie, we better cool it. Or lock the door,” she giggled. 

The gardener regained Dani’s lips, nibbling her gently. “Right,” she said. “Henry said dinner is just about ready. Do you want to go down?”

Dani arched her brow, trying very hard not to  _ pull an Owen _ . 

“To the dining table, Poppins. Steady on,” she chuckled as she playfully pushed Dani’s shoulder. “Mind out of the gutter, now.”

Laughing, Dani shook her head. “I’m not supposed to put any pressure on it and those stairs already have it in for me.”

“I could carry you if you’re feeling romantic or we could go the more practical route.” She rose from the bed gingerly and opened the door to grab something from the hall. “I thought you’d have trouble getting around,” Jamie said, returning with a pair of crutches. “So, I’ve borrowed these from the doctor in town. He was surprised the hospital didn’t send you home with any.” 

Dani felt herself melt. Jamie must have checked with Henry before arriving and arranged a meeting with the doctor. She had been taking care of Dani before she’d even seen her. “Thank you,” she said. 

“Anytime, Poppins. In sickness and in health, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Dani smiled fondly at her. “Always.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Kudos and comments make me smile like that time Jamie tells Dani that she's in love with her :D  
> Love to you all!  
> (And more prompts are welcome!)


	8. Relax

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. No plot in sight. Let the smutty times commence!

“Does it hurt?” Jamie asked.

Dani had her eyes practically glued shut, trying to hide from the visual of what she was being induced to do. “It’s not exactly pleasant.” She breathed in and out slowly, at last opening her eyes to focus on Jamie, hoping that would distract from her right leg currently soaking in a tub with more ice than water.  


“It really should help,” Jamie said. Her voice was calmer than her eyes which held worry. “Played some football in the couple years of secondary I managed to stick to. Number of the girls sprained their ankles and they’d always end up in a big tank of ice water for as long as the sports nurse liked to torture them.”

Dani tried to wiggle her toes, to feel them or anything from her calf down. “Is this how I find out you’re a sadist?” Dani asked. “Glad I found that out before the wedding,” she joked. 

“Hush,” Jamie said, taking a seat on the edge of the tub, facing out. “I hate this.”

“I know. Just trying to distract myself.”

Jamie’s brows quirked. “There are better ways,” she said. She leaned toward Dani, eyes zeroed in on her lips. 

Dani met her halfway, happy for not just the distraction, but for any excuse to caress Jamie’s bottom lip with her tongue. She couldn’t count how many times Jamie had kissed her by now, but she knew it wasn’t nearly enough. 

“Better?” Jamie whispered. 

“Well, I’m not sure,” Dani gave her a playful smile. “Maybe if we try again...” 

With an insincere roll of her eyes, Jamie pressed forward, deepening the kiss. Before Dani knew it, she was really and truly distracted. She could focus on nothing but the slide of Jamie’s tongue against hers and the way her own breath hitched when Jamie’s teeth pulled at her lips softly. So effective was the distraction, that Dani groaned when Jamie pulled away as a timer went off. 

“There,” Jamie said as she rose to retrieve a towel. “That’s long enough.”

“If you say so,” Dani smiled up at her dazedly, brushing her kiss-bruised lips with a thumb. 

Jamie’s eyes looked Dani over as a corner of her lips pulled up in a show of amusement. She threw the towel over one shoulder and held out her hand for Dani to grasp. Once Dani was secured steadily on one foot, she bent down on one knee to offer a place for Dani’s ankle to gently rest while Jamie toweled her leg off. Before rising, Jamie kissed Dani’s ankle, letting her lips glide up Dani's calf to her knee. She caught Dani’s eye as the au pair stared down at her, bottom lip tucked under her teeth. 

“Let’s get you back to bed,” Jamie said, sliding herself under Dani’s arm to support her. “Kids asleep?”

Dani nodded. “Henry said they were passed out.”

“Good. Though, I’ll lock the door to be sure.”

“Sure?”

Jamie’s lips parted into a familiar smirk. “That you aren’t distracted from my distractions.”

Across the hall, Dani made her way to the bed as Jamie did indeed lock the door. The gardener turned around, her hands behind her back which rested against the door. She peered at Dani, raking her eyes along her form as the au pair sat on the bed, waiting.  Jamie stepped away from the door, eyes cast down as if she needed to hide the adoring smile she wore. She came to rest between Dani’s legs which were slung over the side of the bed and brushed Dani’s hair aside to plant savoring kisses along her neck. Her hands slid beneath Dani’s shirt, snaking around her waist before travelling up to pull Dani’s shirt off. 

Dani shivered for more reasons than one. 

“Shit,” Jamie gave a small laugh. “You must be freezing.”

“Warm me up,” Dani grinned. 

Jamie’s eyes steeled in some sort of cross between determination and seduction that left Dani feeling helpless. With a finger pressed to Dani’s sternum, Jamie pressed Dani further onto the bed. She crawled after the au pair, settling between her legs and pressing her body firmly against her. “Warm now?”

Dani struggled with the question for a moment, her head in a pleasant fog. “Oh. Yes.”

The gardener grinned before dipping to kiss the latch of Dani’s jaw, letting its edge guide her to her lips. Under normal circumstances, Dani would have hooked her ankles around Jamie’s waist. True, one ankle out of commission meant that they had to be a little careful, but Dani was the exemplar of intrepidness when her mind was set on something. At the moment, that something was some _ one _ .

The gardener seemed to sense Dani’s hesitancy. “Trust me,” she said. 

“Of course,” Dani sighed into another kiss. “Always.”

Jamie slid down Dani’s form, trailing her lips across Dani’s flat stomach before pulling up to relieve herself of her shirt. Dani sat up to follow her, helping her remove her bra and unclasp her trousers. “Take these off,” the au pair demanded. 

A twinge of her brows betrayed Jamie’s amusement, but the gardener stepped down from the bed to comply. She helped Dani remove the rest of her clothes before returning to settle on top of her. 

Dani revelled in the feel of Jamie’s smooth skin against her own, marveling at how well they moved against one another--as smoothly as their lips in the kiss that was currently driving her mad. Breathing raggedly, she drew away. “Wanna taste you,” she said, allowing the words to fall from her lips before her brain could catch up and her courage could run out. 

Jamie nodded, kissing her soundly before repositioning to straddle Dani’s waist. She inched further up, meeting Dani’s eyes in a silent quest for permission. Dani encouraged her with a rapid nod. She slipped her hands underneath Jamie’s thighs and pulled Jamie’s hips forward until her knees were near the top of either of Dani’s shoulders. She kissed each thigh, letting her tongue trail toward Jamie’s center. Jamie’s legs trembled ever so slightly in anticipation as Dani’s tongue traced the outside of Jamie’s folds languidly. She relished being surrounded by Jamie; her senses were overloaded with her scent, her warmth, and she longed for her taste. 

“Fuck, Poppins,” Jamie hissed as Dani’s tongue finally drew a trail from her entrance to the top of her center. 

Jamie’s hands gripped the top of the headboard harder with every moan Dani let escape as she tasted every fold. Dani raked her nails against Jamie’s rear as Jamie rocked forward, allowing Dani to dip her tongue into her entrance. The groan this elicited from the gardener made Dani squeeze her thighs together in an attempt to relieve some of her own tension. It was sometimes unfathomable to her, how much she loved this woman. She withdrew to draw lazy circles once again, watching as Jamie threw her head back. Her hands wandered up Jamie’s sides until they cupped two perfect breasts. While she massaged them, letting her thumbs graze each nipple, her tongue worked Jamie into a frenzy. 

Jamie held one of Dani’s hands on a breast, working her hips against Dani’s mouth. “Dani,” she whispered. 

She needn’t have said more. The au pair knew she was close. She tested the gardener’s entrance, barely teasing there before plunging in and shortly thereafter adding a second digit. Jamie moaned as Dani's movement matched her hips’ rhythm. Between the work of her tongue and her fingers, Jamie sounded as incoherent as Dani felt, managing only to say “harder,” or “more” or whisper Dani’s name. 

With a final thrust of her hips, Jamie came undone. She rode each pulsing aftershock against Dani’s mouth, making Dani see stars. 

Their rhythm slowed until Jamie’s head fell against the top of the headboard. She lifted herself from Dani carefully before coming to rest beside her, her head on Dani’s chest, arms and a leg slung around her, mindful of her ankle. 

Dani kissed the crown of her head and squeezed her close. “I love you.”

Jamie mumbled something that sounded a little like the same, making the au pair laugh. “Are you broken?” she asked.

With a muffled affirmative, Jamie kissed the au pair’s chest. “No, ruined.”

“Ruined, huh?” Dani chuckled. 

“For life. I...Dani, it’s…” she paused, holding the au pair closer. “I know I’ve said this, but it bears repeating. I’ve never had this before. I’ve never  _ made love  _ before you. This is just…”

“Bliss?”

“Are we allowed to have that before we’re even married?” Jamie chuckled softly, gazing up at her like Dani was the miracle, not her. 

“I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someday they'll get married, but until then, um, sorry not sorry. Not my fault my muse is a perv. XD


	9. True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points to people who've put two and two together with the chapter titles lol XD

One of the things Dani loved about Jamie was her nomadic nature. When Dani had first enjoyed the privilege of visiting Jamie’s studio, that nature had been evident in the lack of possessions scattered about. The space was lived in and boasted Jamie’s green thumb, but was otherwise rather spare. That was, until Dani had moved in. Somehow, she had accumulated far more than she had meant to over the last few months. One might need a mug here, a towel there, a book...or several. And, she really  _ really  _ had gone to town hoarding clothes. 

Jamie stared at the overstuffed closet. “You have a problem."

“I  _ knoooow _ ,” Dani sighed, exasperated with herself. “I can’t help it. I see something cute and I just can't walk away. I’m marrying you after all,” she said with a sly grin. 

Jamie turned back to look at Dani with a raised brow. “Owen would be proud, Poppins.”

“Okay, ouch, actually.”

Jamie grinned, chuckling under her breath as she shook her head. “Right. How do we do this?”

“You hold up an item and I’ll tell you if it’s to be donated or kept?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The closet took them less time than Dani had feared, but more than she’d hoped. By mid-afternoon,the Wingrave's new cook brought lunch to the pair along with Miles and Flora who had insisted on coming. Dani agreed that the children could stay as long as they lent a hand. Under her direction, the children helped them clean and pack until the sun was beginning to set. 

“What is your flat like in America?” Miles asked as the day came to a close.

“Well, for starters, we call it an apartment,” Dani began. “It’s cozy. Bigger than this place, but much smaller than the manor.”

Flora smiled as she twirled in the middle of the room, bumping into Jamie. The gardener retaliated by picking Flora up and turning her upside down to hang her by her ankles. The little girl squealed in delight before Jamie plopped her down on the bed beside Dani. She curled into the au pair, cuddling her side. Dani felt her heartstrings pull. She would miss them so much. And so soon. 

“Sounds nice,” Miles nodded, smiling a little sadly. 

“You know,” Dani began as waved for the boy to come closer. She took the pair of jeans he had been folding for her and placed it in a bag meant for donation. “You can always visit us and see it for yourself.”

“That would be splendid!” Flora interjected. “I’ve always wanted to see America!”

“Then it’s settled,” Dani smiled at her, then Miles. “I’ll tell your uncle that you’re welcome anytime.”

Miles and Flora beamed at Dani. Jamie caught the au pair’s eye. There was a hint of mirth in the gardener’s eyes, but she also looked pleased.

“Are we sure about inviting gremlins into our new home?”

“We’re not gremlins!” Flora argued. 

Jamie squinted her eyes at the girl. “That’s just what a gremlin would say. All right, you lot --that’s enough work for the day. There’s only a bit of tidying left and honestly, the place looks better than the day I moved in already. Miles and Flora: do us a favor and take down the rubbish. Then we’ll pack the donations into the truck. Got it?”

Miles saluted and Flora quickly mimicked him. They darted for the bins and ran down the stairs at an alarming pace, leaving Dani to clench her fist and bite it while Jamie laughed. “They’re after matching your ankle, I reckon.”

“They want to turn my hair grey,” Dani sighed. 

Jamie seemed to consider it. “Can’t say that wouldn’t be fetching.”

“And you call me a flirt.”

“Two to tango, Poppins,” Jamie said with a wink. She bent to grab a few bags meant for donation, setting them aside for Flora and Miles to take down. “Let’s get you downstairs.”

“I’m okay on my own now,” Dani said with an insincere roll of her eyes. After only a week of Jamie’s care and all-around babying of her ankle, Dani felt all but healed. 

“Humor me,” Jamie insisted, holding out her hand. 

Dani took it, rising so that she stood within inches of her fiancée. She scanned Jamie’s face, her eyes landing on two pink, ready lips. She darted for them in a quick peck. “Just this once, I suppose.”

“Please. Wrapped around my pinky, you are,” Jamie said as she wiggled her little finger in the air. 

A smirk played on Dani's lips. “That so?”

“Mmmhmm,” Jamie hummed, making as if to step away. When Dani swayed forward as if pulled by an invisible thread to follow, the gardener stopped suddenly. They collided, Dani’s lips landing on Jamie’s. The gardener chortled softly in the kiss. “I’d say so.” 

The light but pounding footsteps of the children climbing the stairs interrupted before Dani could protest, but Dani knew she wouldn’t have much of a leg to stand on, ankle healed or not. 

****

A fews days had passed and Jamie’s studio was officially out of their hands. The wedding was only a few days away now and Henry had arranged that they’d all be leaving for France together in the morning.

Henry stared at the fire, poking it and adding a log that Jamie handed him. After putting the children to bed, Henry had proposed a bonfire to celebrate Jamie and Dani’s last night at the manor. 

Dani was grateful. Even next to Jamie, she wasn’t sure she would be getting much sleep tonight. Tomorrow meant Paris. Paris meant the wedding. It felt surreal that the woman sitting next to her, currently sharing a Tartan-woven blanket with her, would soon be her wife. She watched the fire’s glow dance in Jamie’s eyes, marvelling at her luck. What were the odds that their paths would bring them both to Bly Manor? Then again, maybe it wasn’t luck at all. 

The three sat in seemingly comfortable silence, nursing hot chocolates, but Dani felt an itch; she needed to say something, and there was really no time like the present. Tomorrow would be a busy day of travelling and the following days leading up to the wedding would leave little room for much else. Then Jamie and Dani would go on their honeymoon and the Wingraves would return to Bly. She had to broach the subject now or never.

“Henry,” she started, “I’ve been wondering- well, I’ve been  _ noticing _ that your tea has less spirit lately.”

Jamie’s brows shot up, but Dani squeezed her hand, silently telling her it was okay and to wait for Henry’s reply. 

“American bluntness never disappoints,” Henry smiled and Dani was relieved to see his eyes held the same fond frankness she was trying to employ. “Yes, I am sober.”

Dani exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “I thought so.”

“Yes, well, the children…” Henry trailed off for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “With Charlotte and my brother gone, they’re all I have left. I’m all they have left.”

“Do you have some sort of plan?” Jamie asked. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees and fingers laced. “Or someone to talk to, maybe? A way to keep it up?”

“I’ve employed a counselor,” Henry nodded. “Among other things. With Ms. Clayton gone,” he smiled as he met Dani’s gaze, “I’ll need a bit more support, I know. For starters, I’ve no intention of letting a bottle of alcohol into that Manor ever again.”

“It’s not always about intentions,” Dani said softly with a worried brow. “My mother--she drank before my father passed away and it only got worse after that. She’d make me promises over the years, telling me she’d get better for me, ya know? But eventually? She failed. Every time. Henry, you can’t fail. You can’t fail these children.”

“I know,” Henry nodded, staring into the bonfire again. “Not after what they’ve been through.”

“I’m not going to be here anymore,” Dani’s voice quivered as she spoke. “But I’m  _ here _ . I don’t care what time it is here or in America, if you need someone to talk to, to call you cab, to yell at you--I’m  _ here,  _ Henry.” She reached out, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. “You’re goddamn family now, so I’m going to be a downright nuisance. I won’t lose you. And I won’t let the children lose you either.”

Squeezing her hand in return, Henry laughed softly, his eyes glistening. “Thank you, Ms. Clayton.”

“I think you can call me Dani now,” the au pair laughed, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. Little had she known when she had first come to Bly that she would leave with the love of her life and a new family. She sniffed and sat up, whipping a tear as she smiled and leaned into Jamie as the gardener rubbed her back in soothing circles. 

“I must say I’m going to miss you. Both of you,” he said as he regarded Jamie with the same fondness. “I’m so very lucky and grateful for the time we’ve spent together.”

“Chin up, Boss,” Jamie said. “We’ve got a few more days left and besides, we expect visits to America at least once a year. No exceptions.”

Bowing his head in laughter, Henry nodded. “Yes, I expect the children will want to visit you as soon as you’re done with your honeymoon.”

“No objections here,” Dani grinned. “Let’s make a plan. I don’t want to leave without knowing when I’ll see you all next.”

Henry put his hand on his heart. “Leave it to me. You two have enough to worry about in the next few days.”

Dani bit her lip as her stomach flipped. Inwardly, she scolded herself for feeling nervous about the wedding approaching. Sure, she wasn’t sure what her life had in store for her-- no one does-- but she knew she wanted to spend every minute of it she could with Jamie. “So soon,” she said in agreement. 

Henry held up his mug of hot chocolate. “To the brides and your lives together. May you not take a single day for granted and may you always know you have family in Bly.”

Dani and Jamie raised their mugs, letting them clunk against Henry’s before taking a sip. 

When the fire tamed, they retired. In Dani’s old room, the au pair stood stock still at the foot of the bed, staring off into space. 

“Poppins? All right?” Jamie asked as she wove her arms around the au pair’s waist from behind.

Dani closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Jamie’s, holding her to her. “Just thinking.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

Dani swatted the gardener’s hip playfully. 

“Seriously, Poppins. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Dani said, still working through what was going on for herself. “I think I’m nervous?”

“That’s normal,” Jamie said with a kiss to Dani’s shoulder. 

“Not that kind of nervous,” Dani shook her head. Not about you or marrying you. I’m just…the last time I was about to be married, things didn’t go so well.”

Jamie turned Dani in her arms. “Things are a little different this time,” she said steadfastly, holding Dani’s gaze, as if her surety alone could convince the au pair of her words.

“I know, and I  _ want  _ this. That’s the biggest difference,” Dani said. She held Jamie’s face in her palms, her eyes scanning every angle and curve of the beauty in front of her in reverence. “Don’t for a second doubt that, Jay.”

A tenderness that made Dani’s knees feel as weak as her ankle found its way into Jamie’s eyes and her soft smile. “I don’t. I wouldn’t have said ‘yes’ otherwise.” She paused, then asked, “But?”

“But, I’m nervous,” Dani admitted again. “I’m scared, really. I-” her voice wavered as she spoke. “I kind of don’t want to let you out of my sight until the wedding is over and we’re safe back in Vermont.”

“Firstly, I think that can be arranged,” Jamie said with a light chuckle, pecking Dani’s lips. “And second, we’ve had this discussion, Poppins. You don’t decide who lives and dies. You don’t. I don’t plan on going anywhere, but when I do--someday in the very distant future, I hope-- it won’t be because of you.”

“I know it’s silly or superstitious or whatever, but it’s what I feel,” Dani huffed, annoyed with herself.

“Considering what you’ve been through, Poppins, I’d say you’re entitled to a little superstition.” The gardener kissed Dani slowly, caressing her lips softly with her own to soothe her. Her hands massaged Dani’s back as she held her close, and the tension Dani held there began to loosen. “I’m not going anywhere,” Jamie whispered.

Dani let her chin rest on the gardener’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around her waist as Jamie’s hands began to work their magic at the base of her neck. She sighed as she let her forehead fall onto the gardener’s shoulder and turned her neck to kiss just below Jamie’s ear. She wanted to let herself drown in Jamie’s affection, to forget about the aching chill of her anxiety that crept across her skin and burrowed deep within her--that ever-lasting threat that came with loving someone as wholly as she did Jamie. The guarantee that one day, one way or another, she would lose her. 

“Promise?” the au pair asked, knowing Jamie could never promise her what she was asking. Just like Dani, she couldn't decide who lived or died. 

Jamie parted from Dani enough to bring their lips together in a kiss. She ducked, for just a moment, to lift Dani’s knee and wrap her leg around the gardener's waist, still mindful of Dani’s ankle despite it being on the mend. She leaned forward so that Dani fell back onto the bed and let her hand slide up Dani’s side as she deepened the kiss. When she pulled away, it was as if her eyes poured every ounce of her love into Dani’s. The au pair met her gaze in wonder at the miracle that was Jamie as she held her face and combed back soft curls. 

“One day at a time, Poppins,” Jamie said. “It’s all anyone can promise, when you get down to it. As long as those days are spent with you, one day at a time is fine by me.” 

“Okay,” Dani said, bringing their foreheads together and resigning herself to the fact that to truly love another person meant accepting the work of loving them was worth the pain of losing them. "One day at a time. If enough for you, it's enough for me."

"I reckon it's enough for me." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! This wasn't my favorite chapter, but some part of me felt like these conversations needed to happen.   
> Love to you all! Kudos and comments are the bit of marmite in the shepherds pie of writing fanfic. X3


	10. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back from vacation! I struggled with this chapter. I just want to get to the wedding already XD  
> Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!
> 
> CW:  
> Shotgun used in sport

**First three lines by** [ **hauntingincorrect** ](https://hauntingincorrect.tumblr.com/post/633137791720669184/owen-why-is-jamie-lying-on-the-floor-hannah) **on Tumblr**

_“I have an idea.”_

_“A good one?_

_“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”_

That’s how the day had started - Owen telling her he had an idea and before she knew it, Dani and Jamie were climbing into a rented van along with the rest of the gang. Hannah sat next to Owen, avoiding the stick shift every time Owen had to change gears. Owen made it all the more difficult, never failing to ‘accidentally’ let his hand land on Hannah’s knee rather than the knob of the gearshift. Jamie found it almost surreal to know that _Hannah_ was ticklish, but as the normally graceful woman jerked and flailed _every time_ , she found herself grinning and shaking her head at the pair. 

Rebecca sat next to Hannah in the front, rolling her eyes at Owen and Hannah conspiratorially with anyone who met her gaze. She was a good sport, though, even when Hannah’s attempts to escape Owen’s tickling meant the woman was half on her lap at times. Jamie was glad she could join them. She needed the break from Henry's London office, having been kept so busy since Henry had decided to take a bit of a step back.

In the middle row sat Flora, Miles, and Henry. The little girl was bouncing far more than the country roads warranted. Miles and she pressed their faces to the window as the French countryside rolled by. One would think, growing up in rural England, that the sight of an odd cow here and there would not raise a fuss, but apparently the novelty of _French_ cows was enough to afford rapt attention. Jamie, for her part, wondered briefly if French cows went ‘moo’. 

In the very back sat she and Dani. The au pair was almost as bad as the children. Her energy was electric as her eyes roamed the hills and plains they passed. When they came upon a road travelling alongside a small lake, Jamie could swear Dani's eyes became heart shaped. She brought their hands, laced together, to her lips to kiss Dani’s knuckles gently as she gave a faint and fond chuckle. 

“We’re here!” Owen called at last. He parked near a small cottage overlooking the lake and at the foot of a vineyard. 

Dani looked at Jamie with a question mark written all over her face.

“Don’t look at me, Poppins.”

As soon as Henry opened the sliding door of the van, the children bolted for the vineyard, running through its rows with peels of laughter and ‘catch me if you cans’. Henry muttered something about getting too old for this before jogging after them. The rest of the crew followed after them.

“After you,” Jamie said to the au pair with an ornery smile. 

“You’re kind of in my way,” Dani grinned at her, and she was right. She’d have a rough time exiting the van without Jamie’s cooperation. 

“Guess you’ll have to get creative, then.”

Dani, as was her habit, gave Jamie a look that never ceased to make the gardener marvel at how they ever stepped foot out of a bedroom. “Creative?” she asked, letting her fingers draw a light trail up the inside of Jamie’s thigh. 

Jamie slammed her thighs shut to block her path. “Christ, Dani,” she whispered, thankful there was no one else in the van any longer. 

“Hmm,” Dani hummed. “Not creative enough?”

The au pair’s next strategy seemed to be taking the lobe of Jamie’s ear between her teeth. Her fingers travelled further north and slid between Jamie’s shut thighs. “Am I getting closer?”

The gardener let out an exhale in the form of a laugh. “Might be.”

“Oi!” they heard along with a sudden knock on the tinted windows. “You lot better be keeping it PG in there!” Rebecca’s voice teased. 

Dani pulled away, clearing her throat. “Excuse me,” she said before she proceeded to crawl over Jamie toward the van’s door, presenting her rear directly in front of Jamie's face. 

“Right,” Jamie said, clearing her throat, “We’re coming!”

***

“Un! Deux! Trois!”

_BANG!_

_...CRASH!_

“Un! Deux! Trois!”

_BANG!_

_...CRASH!_

“Whooo! Nice one!” Jamie whooped, swinging her arm in the air to cheer Dani on. 

Dani grinned at having hit every single one of her clay pigeons as she readied the shotgun for another. 

“She’s American. She has an unfair advantage,” Owen smirked behind her as Jamie stuck out her tongue at him before conceding a laugh. 

“Shall we make it interesting?” Rebecca said, wiggling her brows. “Well done, Dani!” she called when Dani hit another.

“What’d you have in mind?” 

“Très bien, Madamoiselle,” their guide said to Dani as he took the gun. 

“Merci,” she replied. She left Owen and Rebecca to arrange their wager as she made her way for Jamie. 

Jamie encircled her arms around the au pair’s waist. “And here I thought you were frightening with just a fire poker, Poppins.”

Dani leaned into her fiancée, resting her arms over Jamie’s shoulders. “They didn’t call me Annie Oakley when I was growing up for nothing,” she commented as she leaned forward for a kiss.

“Oi, James!” Owen called. 

“Yeah, mate?” Jamie quirked a brow in his direction as she turned both her and Dani, apparently refusing to part from their embrace. 

“I just realized…” he said, his grin spreading slowly. 

“Oh no. I know that look.” Dani said softly, brows coming together in a mock-serious expression.

Jamie’s eyes narrowed at the chef. “What is it, then? Spit it out.”

“You’re having a _shotgun_ wedding after all.” 

Dani’s jaw dropped at the audacity.

Jamie hung her head. "Asked for it, didn't I?"

****

An afternoon stroll along the lake’s beach, a rather decadent meal (with perfectly splendid tea for the kids and far too much wine for the adults) later, the brides and their friends were enjoying further libations in the living area of the small cottage.

Hannah called out “Who makes the better breakfast?” 

Dani lifted her own shoe and heard chuckles from their friends gathered around them. The rules of the game they were playing was simple: when Hannah asked a question, Dani could choose between raising her own shoe to indicate herself or Jamie’s which represented her fiancée. Being back to back with Jamie, the brides couldn't see each other's answers which was half the fun.

“My cooking is shite; I’ll admit it,” Jamie said grudgingly, apparently holding Dani's shoe in the air.

Dani smirked, sharing a knowing glance with Owen.

“Who takes up more than their share of the bed?”

Dani raised her own shoe again, feeling herself blush a little. She tended to sprawl all over the bed, her limbs spread out across Jamie and pillows alike. “Guilty,” she said, knowing which shoe Jamie was holding up without looking. 

“Damn right, you are, Poppins,” Jamie said behind her, making Rebecca giggle. 

“Who has better hair?” Hannah asked. 

_“Awwwwww_ ,” their friends collectively cooed at them. Dani had held up Jamie’s shoe and based on everyone's reaction, Jamie had held Dani’s up. She smiled softly, feeling her cheeks go pink. 

“Who talks the most?” Hannah asked next.

“Really?” Rebecca bent over in laughter. “Jamie, you had me believing you’re the quiet sort!” 

“I talk!” Jamie said defensively. 

“She’s right. Get her on a midnight stroll and she’ll deliver a full monologue,” Dani called out. 

“Who said ‘I love you’ first?” Hannah asked, interrupting their light laughter.

Dani felt butterflies in her stomach at the memory as she lifted Jamie’s shoe into the air. 

_Jamie placed a single moonflower in a vase on her desk in the teaching room at Bly. Flora and Miles had long gone to bed, and Jamie had stayed late while Dani worked on the following week’s lesson plans._

_“I’m actually pretty in love with you, it turns out,” Jamie said, and it had taken every modicum of self control Dani possessed to take Jamie’s hand and lead her to her bedroom rather than having her way with the gardener right there in the classroom._

Owen pretended to sniffle. “Jamie, I had no idea we were so alike. Romantics, you and I,” he said. 

Hannah chuckled. “I could have told you that, but I wonder about this next one: who initiated the first kiss?”

Dani’s cheeks warmed at the memory of the greenhouse on Bonfire Night last November. She held up her own shoe as it played in her mind. 

_Jamie was saying something about understanding. It was that_ understanding _that made Dani do it. All her life she’d been looking for this - looking for someone who quite simply understood her. She surged forward, tired of not acting on something she’d been feeling since the moment she’d seen Jamie. To her great relief, Jamie’s understanding was in her kiss as well. She deepened it, bringing them closer together, making it harder for them both to breathe, but giving Dani much needed reassurance that she wasn’t the only one crazy about the person sitting beside her. Briefly, the gardener pulled away and asked if she was sure. And Dani was. She was more sure of this than anything she ever had been. She nodded and Jamie’s whispered ‘thank fuck’ was enough to ruin her for anyone else ever again._

***

Jamie stumbled along, held up by an arm slung over Owen’s shoulder. Dani was miraculously managing her own way despite the number of glasses of wine she’d imbibed. Owen gracelessly dumped Jamie onto their bed they would be sharing in the small cottage. 

The gardener gave a small groan in protest and swatted Owen’s hand away when he started unlacing her shoes. “Mmm not th’bad, mate.”

“Sure, sure,” Owen chuckled as he wavered backward, not altogether sober himself. 

Dani sat down at the foot of the bed. “It’s, um, it’s fine. I’ve got her.” 

Hannah gave Dani a look that communicated quite effectively that Dani’s words gave little reassurance. “Get yourself sorted and I’ll help Jamie. Owen, I’ll be downstairs in a tick.”

Owen saluted upon his exit, making Jamie giggle. 

The next few moments were a blur of shoes being tossed to the floor and clothes exchanged for pajamas. A more sober version of Dani might have been shy with Hannah was in the room, bearing witness to it all, but something in her told her there was no reason to be. 

Hannah made them both drink a glass of water each before kissing both of them on their cheeks. “Goodnight, my dears. Did you have a good time?”

“Best hen do a girl could ask for,” Jamie said with a sleepy smile. “Thanks, Mum.”

Hannah tsked as Dani giggled. “No really,” Dani said, taking the woman’s hand in her own. “Thank you.” 

“We all pitched in. You two mean the world to us, you know.”

Dani felt a warm glow envelop her heart and her eyes threatened to spill tears. “You mean everything to us, too, Hannah. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” Hannah smiled and rose. “Get some rest,” she said before closing the door. 

Jamie immediately rolled half on top of Dani. “'Member earlier? We could get _creative_ tonight,” she giggled in Dani’s ear. 

Dani felt herself smile, though her eyes were closed as she hummed softly, barely awake. She tugged on Jamie’s arm currently slung across her middle in an attempt to somehow bring her impossibly closer. She nodded and her hands began to roam, muscle memory taking over, but their roaming slowed as she began to drift. 

“Shit, Poppins, you’re about to pass out.”

“Hmm?” Dani asked, jolted back to awareness. She opened her eyes and raised her chin to peer at Jamie. “No, no. I’m here.”

Jamie chortled. “It’s all right.” She kissed Dani’s sternum before laying her head there. “‘M tired, too. ‘Night, Poppins.”

“‘Night, Jamie.”

A beat passed before Dani was jolted awake by Jamie's voice once again. "Poppins?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Marry me?"

"Asked you that already."

"Just making sure."

"Go to bed."

"Not the boss o'me."

"Goodnight, Jay."

"Goodnight, Poppins."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! I just didn't figure these two for a what might be considered a 'typical' bachelorette party.  
> P.S. Every time you leave kudos or comment, Dani lays a gentle hand on Jamie's shoulder as she sleeps. So... XD


	11. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the rehearsal!

"Et bien, after the wedding party has joined you, you will make your promises to be true et cetera and state your consent to be married. You will then exchange rings, once more repeating after me. I will then bless the union and lead the prayer. We will close with the eucharist, inviting any who wish to receive the body and blood of Christ as a blessing in return for blessing your wedding with their presence."

Jamie quirked a brow in Dani's direction. “Ready, then?”

"Very,” Dani nodded with a smile.

“Right.” Her eyes were locked with Dani’s as they held each other’s right hands, then both hands as they practiced the motions of tomorrow’s events with the priest. Hannah and Owen read their parts aloud, their voices piercing the empty cathedral. Owen managed to only sniffle once. Flora was encouraged to flourish her way down the aisle to her heart’s content and Miles did same with a great bow as he pretended to pass them their rings. 

After their goodbyes and thanks were given to the priest, Dani turned to Owen. “Thank you for doing double duty. It’s probably a little chaotic at the restaurant right now with the rehearsal dinner and reception dinner to prep for.”

“When it comes to wedding duties, I say the more the  _ marry _ -er.”

Hannah and Jamie rolled their eyes as Dani barked out a laugh that echoed off of the cathedral’s walls. 

Owen plowed on, encouraged. “That way you two can eat, drink, and be  _ married _ .” 

“Is the best man’s speech going to be one long series of puns?” Jamie groaned. 

“No, I planned on airing out all your dirty laundry, Jamie Taylor.”

“You’ve got nothing on me, Sharma.”

“Oh yeah? Summer of 2015. I believe a young redhead had come to Bly--”

“Mate, if you finish that sentence in the church I’m going to be married in--”

“Let’s leave them to it, shall we?” Hannah asked, taking Dani’s arm at the elbow as they walked down the aisle toward the exit. Hannah whispered conspiratorially: “I’ve looked over his speech. There are a few puns, but he mostly rambles about how much he loves you two and how perfect you and Jamie are for each other. Total sap, that one.”

Dani made an ‘aw’ face and clutched her heart. “You’ve got a good one there. He must be so romantic when it’s just the two of you.”

“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” Hannah said with a rare wink. 

Dani giggled before she sobered. “Speaking of, what’s this about a redhead?”

Hannah guffawed. “It was nothing, dear. A young thing had a bit of a crush on Jamie who made it very clear, despite the other’s best efforts, that she hadn’t the slightest interest.” 

Dani laughed. “Well,” she said as she stopped to look back at Jamie and Owen still bickering good-naturedly, “I can’t say I blame anyone for trying.”

With a soft chuckle and squeeze of her hand, Hannah seemed to agree. “Come along, you two,” she hailed them. “We’ve a dinner to get to.”

“Blimey,” Jamie face-palmed. “You were sure to--”

“Yes, yes,” Owen nodded in reassurance as they caught up. 

Dani tilted her head in question at Jamie. The gardener pretended not to notice, opting for a quick peck before rushing past her and bounding for the car. “I’ll meet you at the restaurant, baby!” she called back. “I’m going to help Owen with something.”

“Don’t you have to change?”

“Got my things in the car. See you there!” 

Dani turned a perplexed glance toward Hannah. “I’m not exactly marrying her for her cooking skills. What’s she helping with at the restaurant? Has Owen mentioned anything?”

“Haven’t a clue, I’m afraid,” Hannah said, curiosity crossing her features. “We’ll see, won’t we?”

***

Dani scanned the restaurant for her fiancée. Soft lighting illuminated the small crowd of friends and family that had made it to their destination wedding. Gentle music, the clattering of glassware, and an omnipresent murmur accompanied with interrupting notes of light laughter reached the au pair’s ears in a warm harmony. Every direction she looked, there seemed to be a familiar face ready to wish her and her marriage well. 

Dani let her eyes rest when she found a sight she appreciated far more than the ambience. Her fiancée had chosen to don a stunning ivory evening jumpsuit romper. The princess-seamed, sweetheart bodice had a high-neck lace overlay that also trailed down her otherwise bare arms. The high, banded waist was tied with a sash before the wide-leg pants that showed off the length of her legs. It was one of the most beautiful garments Dani had ever seen, but as Jamie laughed at something Owen said, Dani noted that it didn’t do justice to the captivating woman it enveloped. She looked down, trying to see if she could visibly witness her heart hammering against her chest. When she looked up, Jamie met her gaze with a soft smile. For the briefest moment, they were simply lost in each other’s eyes. 

Someone tugging at the hem of her dress made her peel her eyes away. 

“Ms. Clayton!” Flora jumped up and down. “This is all perfectly splendid!”

“So are you!” Dani reached for Flora’s hand, twirling the girl so that her dress bloomed outward. Flora giggled in delight. She continued spinning, hurtling herself toward Miles and Henry at the other side of the room. 

Evidenced by the light touch on her lower back, Jamie had made her way to the au pair’s side. Jamie laced her arm through Dani’s. “She’s going to be sick if she keeps that up.” 

Dani reclaimed her earlier gaze as Jamie looked in the girl’s direction. “She’ll tire herself out before that,” she said with a fond smile. “Hi, by the way.” She nudged Jamie’s hip with her own. “You look a-amazing,” she said, struggling to use her words at the sight of Jamie.

“Speak for yourself,” Jamie said in a low tone as she looked Dani up and down. “You know a tea-length dress is my weakness. A little unfair it's backless. And this blue, too. Shows off your eyes.” She trailed a digit down Dani’s bare spine, making the au pair visibly shudder. 

“Don’t start that just yet,” she practically purred in warning. “It might look suspicious if we disappear for a bit.” 

A corner of Jamie’s lips pulled up. “Right. Though, can’t say I’d be sorry.”

“So,” someone interrupted. Dani turned at the sudden sound of a familiar, smoke-rough voice. “I finally see my baby the night before her wedding!” 

“Hi, Mom,” Dani smiled sheepishly. “It’s been so long. We’ll be back in the states in no time. Promise.”

Her mom raised a warning finger toward Jamie. “I’m holding you accountable for that promise.”

Jamie’s brows rose as she nodded. “‘Course.” 

With that, Dani and her mother hugged. As Dani looked over the shorter woman’s shoulder in their embrace, her heart skipped a beat. 

Dani’s ex-future mother-in-law beamed at her. “Dani. My beautiful girl.” 

The au pair’s heart thudded against her sternum as if it wanted to escape. “Judy? Wh-wha…” she tried, but failed to say more. 

Her mother smiled. “Isn’t it great? I didn’t have to fork over my life savings for this trip, thanks to Judy. We’re sharing a cute little hotel room and taking a little vacation in _‘ole_ _Par_ - _is_ since we were both flying all the way across a god-forsaken ocean. Step aside, honey, I’m going to go ask that gorgeous gentleman at the bar for another glass of wine.” She waggled her brows as she left them.

Jamie’s arm wove around her waist as she spoke softly into Dani’s ear. “I hope this is okay. You’ve always said Judy was as much if not more of a mother figure for you as--” she tilted her head toward Dani’s mother at the bar who was laughing far too earnestly at something the bartender had said. “And you said that you wished she could come.”

“It’s--yes, thank you,” Dani nodded, still stunned and eyes still glued to Judy. She hadn’t seen the woman in over a year. There had been so many things she’d wanted to share with her during that time, but she hadn’t known how. How do you approach a woman who had been like a second mother to you when you had just broken her son’s heart? How do you come out to her and expect things to ever be like they were before? As she took Judy in now, she realized that there had been a constant ache for Judy, deep in the well of her heart, this whole time.

“Oh, honey,” Judy walked toward her, hands outstretched. 

Dani took them automatically. “I’m so glad you’re here. I wasn’t sure--”

Judy shook her head, seeming to know Dani’s apprehension. “I meant what I said before you disappeared to England, honey. I’m your family. Always will be. Eddie had told me you called things off, and then…” she stopped, tears glistening as they fought to escape. “I never got a chance,” she started, but had to stop, regret and emotion clear in her voice. “I never got to tell you that I love you no matter what--no matter who,” she looked at Jamie, “you love. After the accident happened, it was all I could do to...well, you know.” 

Dani did. Judy had been her pillar of strength as always, but she’d also leaned on Dani in return. There hadn’t been time between the break-up and Eddie’s death enough for them to talk things through. Then Dani had left, figuring it was for the best. 

“Before it happened, I had all these plans and schemes to make sure you knew I still loved you. I was going to make sure we didn’t drift apart,” she sighed. “My point is, Dani, I don’t want to lose you, too. More importantly, I want you to know that you will never lose me. You got that?” 

The au pair smiled and nodded as Judy wiped a tear away for her. “My beautiful girl,” she repeated. “I’ve missed you.” She smiled at Jamie. “And this one,” she said with a smile, “She’s a good one, Dani. Made sure I’d be here for your special day.” 

“Yeah,” Dani gave a teary chuckle. “She is. Thank you, Judy. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.” 

The woman pulled Dani into a fierce hug, rocking them both a little before releasing her. “Enough of the heavy stuff. Tonight is about love and that’s something to celebrate. I’m going to go rescue that poor man and that bottle of wine from your mother. Excuse me.”

Dani watched Judy artfully return the bottle to the bartender and guide her mother toward a table. The au pair turned to Jamie, letting all her love pour through her gaze. “You are absurdly wonderful.” Jamie’s cheeks brightened to a delightful pink at the compliment. “How many people would invite their fiancée’s ex-future mother-in-law to their wedding?”

“She’s more than that to you,” Jamie frowned. “Every time you talked about Eddie, Judy was as much a part of the story as he was. She’s important to you, so she’s important to me.”

Dani let out a short breath of a laugh. “You really are wonderful. If it were possible for me to have any doubts about you, this would have made such doubts inconceivable. Is this what you and Owen were conspiring about at the church?”

“Yeah,” Jamie said with a shy smile. “Well, this and one other thing.” 

“I’m intrigued, Miss Taylor.” 

“Follow me, Miss Clayton.”

Jamie held Dani’s hand as she weaved them through the tables and crowd. They paused a few times along the way whenever someone stopped them for early congratulations. Eventually, they made it to a small office off the side of the kitchen. At the far wall, Jamie opened another door that led to an outside yard surrounded by opaque plastic--a small greenhouse of sorts. Owen was growing his own tomatoes, some herbs, and some greens. Jamie turned to face Dani, guiding her with both hands as she stepped backward toward the fence. An ivy grew along the wooden planks and then Dani saw it. She couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped. “Jamie…” she whispered. “Are these moonflowers?”

“They are,” Jamie said proudly. “Figured we needed at least a few in our bouquets tomorrow. Growing them at Bly was difficult but growing these things long distance with Owen looking after them has been murder. I love the man and granted, he can cook better than anyone I know, but his thumb hasn’t a shade of green. Anyway, I’ve been helping him figure out a sustainable garden for the restaurant and this was my favor in exchange.”

Dani shook her head in disbelief. She raised her palms to cup Jamie’s chin delicately and urged her forward. The kiss was gentle, but full of that inexplicable magnetism that had always meant their lips were bound for each other. “They’re beautiful,” Dani rested her forehead on Jamie’s. “Thank you.” 

“Mmm,” Jamie hummed. She brushed her lips softly on Dani’s. “Worth it,” she whispered. “You’re always worth it.” 

They held each other and as the music from inside drifted out, they swayed in place together. Dani focused on savoring the moment. Tomorrow, she suspected, would be a whirlwind of a day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Folks seem to feel differently about Judy and her relationship with Dani. She's certainly a part of the compulsory heterosexuality that Dani experiences, but this is a fix-it fic of sorts, so in my fluffy head cannon, they have a loving, accepting relationship despite all that they've been through. 
> 
> Thanks as always for reading. Kudos and comments mean the world to me! Also, don't forget that I'm open to prompts!   
> xoxoxo


	12. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go

It took Dani approximately three minutes. 

The small town of Troyes, located just a little Southeast of Paris, was still covered in darkness as Dani began to stir. Before the sun could peek through the curtains, she padded her way to the bathroom, her eyes still half-lidded with sleep. As was her habit in the rare event that she woke up before Jamie, she simply returned to bed, sidling up behind the gardener and pulling them close together. She adjusted her arm beneath Jamie’s pillow and let her head rest against it, closing her eyes once more.

Then, at last, she realized what day it was. 

The au pair’s eyes flew open - wide as saucers - and she clutched Jamie with a jolt. 

“Mmph?” Jamie asked. “Poppins? All right?”

Her heart hammered against her ribs and she forced herself to take even breaths. “Jay…” 

The gardener shifted and turned so she could face the au pair - though her eyes remained closed - and Dani was struck anew. This beautiful, complex, miracle of a woman had said ‘yes’ all those months ago.

And today, she would… 

“Jamie,” she said in not more than a whisper. She reached for a brown curl, tucking it behind the gardener’s ear in awed reverence. “Jamie, baby,” she called her from sleep softly. 

“Hmmm?”

She stroked Jamie’s shoulder, tracing a trail that left goosebumps. She picked up the hand that followed the arm and brought it to her lips, kissing Jamie’s garden-tough knuckles before turning them over to kiss the muscle of her thumb tenderly. “We’re getting married today.”

Dani watched as a slow smile crept across Jamie’s features until she was wearing that smirk that usually made the au pair’s knees feel weak and her stomach flip. It was quiet in the room, so the only sound was her own sharp intake of a breath that she stilled by biting her lip. 

Her eyes still closed, Jamie asked, “Are we now?” 

Dani nodded though the gardener couldn’t see it. She pressed forward to lay a gentle kiss on the other’s lips, unable to wait any longer. To her relief, Jamie pulled her in, dragging the au pair to lay on top of her as their kiss deepened. Dani’s head was a pleasant fog as Jamie’s hands traveled to rest on her hips and pull her weight down while thrusting up to meet them. 

The morning air was chilled, but the heat they were currently building became too much for Dani. She tossed the blankets and the sheets off of them. When Jamie made a soft noise of protest, she grinned on her lips. “I’ll make you warm.” She pressed her length against Jamie, sliding against her. Jamie was so soft,  _ so _ smooth. She reached to weave their fingers together and raised their arms toward the head of the bed as she rocked into the gardener, effectively pinning the all-too-willing gardener down. 

The pleasant tension between Dani’s legs climbed until she at last brought one of Jamie’s hands to her center. The gardener moaned her approval into Dani’s mouth and began a practiced rhythm. Even now, Dani still found herself wondering how the gardener could do this to her - touch her like she knew Dani better than the au pair knew herself.

She traced a light but sure touch down Jamie’s throat, along her collar, one of her breasts and her ribs, before she finally wove it between Jamie’s legs to match the gardener’s rhythm. Jamie split their kiss to throw her head back on the pillow, arching into Dani. At the sight, Dani forgot what it was to be anything but right here and right now with Jamie, and she thought that was perfect. She could never want anything else. Her lips found purchase on Jamie’s raised chest, and she grazed them across soft skin until they found a pink tip to take in. Gently, between her teeth, she pulled a nipple and sealed her lips around it to tease it with her tongue and suck. This caused Jamie to curse which didn’t at all help to slow Dani’s inevitable climb. She could feel Jamie getting closer and closer to the edge as well. When Jamie gripped the hair at the nape of Dani’s neck and said her name in a devout whisper, the au pair leaned forward to take an earlobe between her lips and then whispered “Come for me.”

As if a switch had been flipped, Jamie’s body collapsed and convulsed. Her grip on the au pair’s hair tightened and when Dani heard her name escape Jamie’s perfect lips in a cry of ecstasy, she came undone herself. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her as she begged Jamie not to stop. All the while, she felt Jamie grinding against her hand as her own waves crashed down upon her. 

The au pair found her lover’s lips and let their tongues tangle themselves together as they each rode the other’s hand through aftershocks. At last, she fell to the bed next to Jamie, wrapping a leg around one of the gardener’s and letting her arm encircle Jamie’s waist as she laid her head on the gardener’s chest. 

The gardener traced a finger up and down Dani’s spine, making her shiver. She kissed Dani’s shoulder in sympathy before pulling the covers back over them. “That’s one hell of a way to start a wedding day,” she said with a soft laugh. 

“Yeah,” Dani managed. “I’ll say.”

***

“Wow...James, you’re gorgeous.”

“Clean up well enough when I have to,” Jamie said with a chuckle. “Hand me that, will you?”

Owen handed Jamie an elegant, gold-leaf bridal comb - the finishing touch - that had been sitting on the bed in a hotel room about a block away from the cathedral. Dani and she had decided to part for a few hours to make themselves ready, leaving some things to surprise for each other. 

Owen still stood back, eyes wide and mouth gaping for a moment. 

“You all right, mate?”

He shook his head. “Did I mention you’re gorgeous?” he said with an aghast laugh. “Poor Dani’s not going to know what to do with herself.”

With a roll of her eyes, Jamie tapped his shoulder with a playful punch. “Easy, Sharma.”

Owen grinned. “Price of being a bride, I’m afraid. People get to tell you how beautiful you look. Anyway, you ready for this?” he asked. He sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him. 

Jamie nodded and sat beside him as her gaze became glazed in thought. In truth, a part of her couldn’t believe that she was here- that Dani was about to promise she’d spend her life with her. “‘Course I’m ready. Feel a bit legless, if I’m honest.”

“Already been in the drink?”

“No, mate,” she sighed out a laugh. “Just really fucking happy.”

“Ah,” he said with a teasing tone. “So you’re drunk in love.”

Jamie couldn’t even be annoyed at his lame attempt at a joke. “Guess so. Right, on to a little business. Flowers?”

“Check.”

“Seriously, flowers?”

“Seriously, check. Moonflowers in the bouquets and all.”

“Everything good at the restaurant?”

“Check.”

“Dani’s mom? Judy?”

“Check. Check. They were with Dani earlier, but Hannah’s with her now.”

“Good. The gremlins?”

“Henry’s got them squared away.”

“Henry?”

“Hannah’s got  _ him _ squared away.”

“The rings?”

Owen tapped his breast pocket. “Got Dani’s here. Hannah has yours. We’ll keep them safe until Miles is about to walk down the aisle.”

“The priest?”

“He’s ready.”

“Photographer?”

“Fine. Everything is fine, Jamie.  _ Aisle  _ be damned if anything goes wrong today.”

“Damn right, you will be,” Jamie laughed. 

“Well,” he said, pushing off the bed. “I better go get Hannah so that she can escort you down the aisle to wedded bliss. I’ll be needing to find Dani, but I wanted to check in first.”

Jamie felt her heart squeeze with fondness for the man. “Thanks, Owen. Really.”

Owen grinned at her. “Do I get a hug?”

She narrowed her eyes, but nodded. “You’ve earned it, I reckon.”

They held each other, squeezing tight in a silent testament of how much they meant to each other. Before stepping back, Owen placed a light kiss atop Jamie’s head. “Love you, James. Marry the heck out of that woman.”

“Plan to,” Jamie grinned. 

***

“Breathe, Dani.”

Dani tried for a subtle nod, not wanting to move too much as Hannah finished helping her with some make-up. “Right. Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, dear. I just don’t want to have to see Owen carry you down the aisle,” Hannah said with a soft chuckle. “There.” She dotted one last bit of powder on Dani’s cheek. “How’s that?”

“Perfect. Thank you, Hannah.”

“‘Course, dear. Now, I have been asked to purvey a request. If you are not in the mood, we can carry on as planned, but if you’re feeling indulgent, there are a few Wingraves that want to see you before the big event.”

A bright smile spread across Dani’s features. “They’re here?”

“Waiting in their room, yes.”

“I’d love to see them,” Dani said, and she meant it. The children had a calming effect on her. With other adults, she often found herself saying or doing the wrong thing, but with children - particularly children she was close to - she was more sure of herself. 

Hannah texted Henry and two minutes later there was a soft rapping on the door. 

“Come in!” Dani called. 

The door opened, revealing Henry smiling. “Miss Clayton, we’ve come to give our best wishes.”

Flora and Miles sped past him to meet Dani’s outstretched arms. 

“Oof!” Dani said upon impact. “Oh my goodness,” she said, drawing back so she could see them better. “Look at you! You both look so  _ sophisticated and dashing _ !” She said the last bit with an oafish accent, making the children giggle. 

“You look wonderful, Ms. Clayton,” Miles said as Dani straightened his little bow tie that matched his suspenders. 

“Yes,  _ perfectly _ wonderful!” Flora agreed. “Are you excited? I’m terribly excited.”

“I’m terribly excited, too,” Dani agreed. “Can I tell you a secret, though? I can’t wait to see Jamie.”

“That’s not a secret,” Flora said all too seriously, making Dani grin all the more. “I’m sure she can’t wait to see you either. You do look so lovely.”

“Thank you,” Dani said, “and thank you for coming to see me.”

“Yes, well, children, we’ve wished Ms. Clayton well. Now we best be off to the church,” Henry said, beckoning them to the door.

Dani walked them forward, and Henry stood still, his eyes scanning Dani as if he wanted to say something. He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, “Good luck, Miss Clayton. Though, you and Jamie are just so god damned lucky already, aren’t you? You’ve found each other: each other’s better halves, through and through. You deserve every happiness. ”

“Thanks,” she said again and hugged him. “I’ll see you all there.”

Dani felt a tightening in her chest at the sight of the three of them leaving. So very soon, she would no longer get to see them every day. She wouldn’t see Flora’s curiosity blooming or Mile’s becoming more and more like his uncle. With whom would she debate politics and philosophy without Henry over breakfast? She shook her head, feeling a bit dramatic. After all, they could still call and video conference and visit. True, they were all growing past the need for each other, but that was okay. It was more than okay. It was wonderful. 

Hannah seemed to sense the bittersweet scintilla in the air. She wrapped Dani’s shoulders in her arms in a sideways hug. “Right, what say we go get you married?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two don't strike me as the sorts that would let wedding superstition keep them apart any longer than strictly necessary, so wedding morning shenanigans FTW. XD
> 
> Kudos? Comments? YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS
> 
> P.S. If you have any requests for the wedding, feel free to hit me up. Could be sweet, silly, or other.  
> Love to you all!


	13. White Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is too long, but OH WELL. I figure I've delayed long enough. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Link to what I imagine Jamie's wedding attire to look like:  
> https://www.lillyingenhoven.com/pages/bridal?epik=dj0yJnU9ckwzSEwybnVpbTVNMncySUhMdFhtN2pwcEVCNWx6U24mcD0wJm49aTMxZl8xaGpWcFlOY0dSZDJqU2ItQSZ0PUFBQUFBR0FUb1FN
> 
> Link to what I imagine Dani's wedding attire to look like (but it has pockets...Dani seems like a pockets gal):  
> https://s28830.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/rosa_clara_wedding_dresses_2014_11_01102014.jpg

Some chapter inspiration here :  [ https://missclayton.tumblr.com/post/639681381778210817/beca-mitchell-dani-jamie ](https://missclayton.tumblr.com/post/639681381778210817/beca-mitchell-dani-jamie)

Also, I couldn’t find it, but another gif inspired some of Jamie’s vows. If I find it, I’ll link it!

* * *

  
  


In a small room just outside the north transept of the cathedral, Dani waited on Owen’s arm. Jamie was doing the same, but on the south side, with Hannah. Their ‘aisle’ would be the length of each transept which intersects with the main aisle. That way, they could walk at the same time, meeting each other at the altar. 

“Breathe, Dani. Breathe,” Owen told her.

“I’m fine,” Dani whispered, already in awe of what was about to transpire. Indeed, she was more than fine. She was elated. Still, her mother had set her on edge earlier in the day, and though the effects were wearing away, they were wearing slowly. That combined with the knowledge that she was finally about to marry the love of her life meant her heart was racing and thudding so fast, she swore it was visible. 

“You most assuredly look fine,” Owen chuckled. “By which I mean radiant, actually. Hannah is going to have to pull Jamie’s jaw up off the floor.” 

“Stop,” Dani chuckled. Then, eyes glazed as she let her imagination wander, she absentmindedly said, “I wonder what she’ll be wearing. She wouldn’t tell me if she was going with a dress or some sort of suit or a jumpsuit like last night.  _ God _ , she looked amazing last night.”

Owen snorted. 

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“You did, indeed,” Owen smiled. 

Dani looked up to see Owen trying not to say anything, his lips tucked but still upturned in a hidden smile. “Wait a sec,” Dani said. “You’ve seen her.”

“Mum’s the word,” Owen said with a shake of his head. “No spoilers, Dani. Jamie would have my head. More importantly, Hannah would have my head.”

Dani narrowed her eyes at the man. “You know, Owen, where I come from, cruel and unusual punishment is not permitted.”

“I think you’ll live,” Owen said with a laugh. “Besides, you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

Dani pretended to pout, though she soon couldn’t help but match his grin. “It’s fine. She’d look amazing in a garbage bag.”

“I believe I am within my rights to say she is  _ not  _ wearing anything related to rubbish.”

One of the photographer’s crew took a candid shot as Dani bent over in a laugh at Owen’s remark. Before Dani could recover from the flash, the organ’s music shifted to cue their entrance. Dani’s world shifted with it. Suddenly the only thing between her and Jamie being married were a few steps, a few moments. She stepped forward with Owen. 

***

“Hannah?” 

“What is it, Jamie dear?”

“Do us a favor?” 

“Of course. What is it?”

“If I black out or trip or something, make sure I get to the altar, yeah?”

Hannah laughed brightly. “That  _ is _ my job today.”

Jamie nodded as she breathed out a short laugh with her. “Good, good.” Her eyes darted from the floor to the door ahead of them several times and her mouth twisted, her lips pursing. 

“What else?” Hannah asked. 

“I uh…” Jamie began, struggling. Words were only her forte in the dead of night, deep in an English forest, apparently. “I’m going to miss you, Hannah. A lot.” She looked up to lock eyes with the kind woman who had become something like an older sister to her. “After this, Dani and I will be on our honeymoon, then Vermont. I feel like I’m never going to see you again.”

“Oh tosh,” Hannah knit her brows as she smiled, her disbelief on full display.

“I know, I  _ know _ ,” Jamie laughed at herself. “We’re going to keep in touch and even visit, but that’s just not the same, is it?”

“No, thank heavens,” Hannah said, making Jamie’s brows come together in confusion. “You have a life to build and live with Dani. Things will change, my dear, but that is the price of living your life  _ well _ .”

“‘Course,” Jamie nodded, looking down at the moonflowers in her bouquet. “I really do know that. It’s just…” she shook her head, wishing Hannah could read her mind, so she wouldn’t have to say it. “I’ve uh, not had much in the way of family in my life, and at Bly, I finally felt like I’d found a home with you and Owen and Rebecca, the Wingraves, including those gremlins,” she smirked. “I fell in love with our boring little lives that I wouldn’t trade for anything - that I wouldn’t  _ change  _ for anything. Yet here I am, about to change everything. And I would do it again and again, and that’s how I know it’s the right decision, but it doesn’t change the fact that I am going to miss you so  _ so _ much Hannah.”

Jamie looked back up to meet Hannah’s gaze. Hannah was shaking her head at her as she dabbed a tear away with a kerchief, but she wore a smile on her face. “Damn you, you silly thing,” she admonished Jamie. “I wasn’t expecting to need this thing until the actual wedding,” she said, waving the kerchief.

With a soft exhale of a laugh, Jamie gave Hannah a soft smile. The organ’s processional music began to play. 

Hannah sniffed and stowed her kerchief before straightening up and offering Jamie her arm. “For the record, I’ll miss you, too, but I really want to see you marry the woman of your dreams, so let’s get to it, shall we?”

Jamie grinned at her. “Let’s.”

***

Dani wanted to pinch herself. Was she dreaming? Owen had had it all wrong. Instead of Jamie’s jaw hitting the floor, it was hers. Jamie had decided to wear a dress, after all, and she looked like she’d stepped down from heaven. It was simple - minimalist even. Dani took it all in: the flutter sleeves, a jewel neckline and a sash tied at the empire waist, along with a long loosely flowing skirt. Dani felt her knees actually begin to give. 

“I’ve got you,” Owen whispered to her while patting her hand that held his arm with a vice grip. Dani was ridiculously grateful. She might feel embarrassed if it weren’t for the fact that she was far too enthralled for that.

The au pair’s eyes found Jamie’s and a grin slowly spread across her features at the look waiting for her. 

Jamie was biting her lip and made a show of looking the au pair up and down with a smile that had to be considered sinful whilst in church. Dani stood transfixed as the woman mouthed  _ ‘Wow _ .’ 

Dani looked down at her own gown. It had a pleated, ball gown skirt and a semi-sweetheart bodice with a lace overlay that travelled to a jewelled, banded waist, an illusion boat neckline, that ended before the elbows. 

She locked eyes with Jamie once more upon looking up, her grin still on display. She bit her lip, too, to hide it, and raised her brows playfully.  _ ‘You look beautiful,’  _ she mouthed as she clutched her heart. Jamie’s almost-cocky smirk let her know the sentiment had made it across the chapel. 

They walked forward and somewhere in the back of Dani’s mind, she knew that their guests had risen and that photos were being snapped from every which way. Her eyes, though, were still locked with Jamie’s. 

Time became a blur, somehow at once speeding before Dani’s very eyes and standing frozen still. At last it came time for Jamie and she to exchange their vows. 

“Here’s the thing,” Dani began, trying to ignore the hammering sound of her own heart attempting to beat its way out of her chest. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and was thankful she’d thought to use tear-proof mascara. Her lips, though, were formed into a smile. “You’re my best friend,” she continued with a tremble in her voice, “and the love of my life. And, I don’t know how long ‘as long as we both shall live’ is going to be, but however much time that is, I want to spend it with you. I want to wear the rings and know that it doesn’t mean we  _ belong  _ to each other - it means we _ love _ each other. And,” Dani swallowed thickly, amazed she was making it through this thus far. “I love you with every piece of me and I promise that will always be enough for me as long as it’s enough for you.” 

Jamie nodded, smiling through a few tears, “I reckon that’s enough for me, yeah.” She giggled and it was all Dani could do not to step forward to envelope the gardener in her arms and kiss her long before they were supposed to. 

“Jamie,” the priest said, effectively interrupting Dani’s thoughts. “You may say your vows.”

Jamie nodded at the man before turning her teary gaze toward the au pair. “Dani,” she said, and Dani thought that just her name on Jamie’s lips was enough of a promise. Still, the gardener continued, “You remember that first day at Bly?”

Dani nodded, tilting her head a little and creasing her brows as if to say  _ of course. _

“I didn’t introduce myself. Everyone- Hannah, Owen, the wee gremlins -” she winked at Miles who grinned back. “They all assumed we’d already met. So,” she turned back to the au pair, “Dani Clayton, allow me to introduce myself: my name is Jamie Taylor.” She smirked and paused amid a few murmuring chuckles from the pews. Dani grinned and couldn’t help a small laugh in concert with them. “I can be a bit of a hothead,” Jamie went on, “I like plants better than people, I smoke, and I don’t tend to talk much until I talk too much. But, then, you already know all that,” she said, sobering a little. “I feel like anything I tell you up here is likely to be something you already know. Like how I knew I loved you when home went from being a place to being a person. I didn’t introduce myself that first day because I saw you and it wasn’t love at first sight, it was something deeper, like coming home. So, I promise you this: I will always be your home, too, Dani Clayton.” 

Dani blinked softly, soaking in the gardener’s words. The priest continued the ceremony, and Dani soon felt the exhilarating weight of a ring. 

The next words she truly processed were these: “You may seal your vows with a kiss.”

Their lips mirrored each other in grinning smiles. Dani closed the gap between them in a heartbeat, cupping Jamie’s face delicately, kissing her with all her love and soul. Jamie found the back of Dani’s neck, pulling her closer. Far too soon for Dani’s liking, they parted amidst cheers from their friends and family. Their Bly family were quick to surround them and engulf them in hugs, and Dani thought that this day couldn't be more perfect.  


****

“Holy shit.”

“Jay?”

“Holy fucking  _ shit _ !”

“Jamie?”

“I mean, Christ!”

“Jamie!” 

The gardener’s head snapped toward the au pair. “Poppins...we’re  _ married _ !”

Dani rolled her eyes in amused exasperation, grinning from ear to ear. “I know. I was there.” 

“Dani,” Jamie said, her tone suddenly quite serious. “No more  _ planning  _ the wedding, no more  _ thinking  _ about what it will be like to be your wife. We’re. Married.” 

“I’m glad you noticed,” Dani said. She shook her head and bit her lip, entirely too enthralled by the sight of the most beautiful bride she’d ever laid eyes on sitting beside her in their wedding coach Henry had rented to take them to the reception. They had just finished a series of wedding photos and could now be on their way. The drive to Paris would take a little over an hour which meant Dani had a small window of time to have Jamie all to herself. She laced their fingers together and tugged Jamie to her. With little effort, she coaxed Jamie forward into a kiss. Their lipstick, thankfully, was smudge proof--a detail she’d foreseen would be just as important as tear-proof mascara. 

Jamie kissed her with a fervor that left Dani’s head spinning. Her tongue dipped into Dani’s mouth and it was  _ so  _ fucking good. The au pair’s stomach sunk pleasantly and her eyes became too heavy-lidded to stay open as she kissed her wife. Miraculously, she managed to keep her hands from weaving through brown curls and thus ruining its style, but this self control was at the expense of rucking Jamie’s dress up so she could run a hand along the inside of her thighs. 

The gardener gasped, biting Dani’s lower lip in response. “Keep that up and this marriage’ll be consummated before we get to the reception.”

“I can live with that,” Dani said with a fervor that now matched her wife’s. It was starting to sink in for her as well. This woman--this gorgeous, sexy, unfailingly kind-hearted woman who made her laugh and her heart sing--had just vowed to spend the rest of her life with Dani. Not in all her years before meeting the gardener had she thought this would be possible. Yet here they were. Here she was. Jamie was in her arms and always would be. “God, I love you,” she whispered in reverence. 

Jamie rested her forehead on the au pair’s, panting slightly and grinning. “I love you, too, Mrs. Clayton. How much trouble do you reckon we’d be in if we left for the honeymoon right now?”

Dani felt her smile widen. “Depends. Think you could outrun Hannah?”

“Pretty sure it’s Owen who would never speak to us again, the prat.”

Dani couldn’t help a dirty laugh at that. “Be nice.”

“I can be nice. I only wish I could have my way with my wife a little sooner rather than later.”

“Keep calm,” Dani said in an English accent even she knew was bad, “and carry on.”

Jamie groaned. “Why? Why didn’t I work it into the vows that you could never do that again?”

“Missed your opportunity, babe,” Dani grinned. “You’re stuck with me and my lame accent.” She pulled Jamie into another series of kisses as the gardener whispered something like ‘thank fuck.’ 

Far too soon, they arrived at the restaurant, their coachman knocking on the window before opening the door. 

Dani looked toward the restaurant with a dissonance of eagerness and reluctance. She felt a push and pull for which she entirely blamed Jamie’s...well, her  _ existence _ on the one hand, and her desire to celebrate their wedding with her friends and family. After all, who knew when they’d all be together again? 

Jamie looked past her. “Shall we, then? I promised Flora a dance.”

“Me too. And Miles,” Dani nodded. She smiled at the thought and laced her fingers in Jamie’s. “But you get the first dance,” she said as she held Jamie’s chin in her palm.

Jamie scanned Dani’s face as if in search of something. “How did I manage this?” the gardener whispered in wonder.

“Same way I did, I guess,” Dani smiled gently. “When I figure out how exactly, I’ll let you know.”

“Deal, Poppins.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are story fuel, so thank you so much for leaving them!


	14. Tonight I Celebrate My Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit long again, but I do not apologize. Let me know if you want any more of an epilogue than this. Otherwise, I might end it here.  
> Thanks so much for reading!

“You’re the coolest,” Flora stage-whispered to Jamie. She was standing barefoot on Jamie’s feet, holding the gardener’s hands in a dance. 

“I thought I was your favorite, Flora,” Owen said. He was dancing with Hannah next to them. His brows were scrunched together and the man was downright pouting. 

“You are,” Miles answered for her, “but she’s right. Jamie’s the coolest.”

“This is your fault, you know,” Owen told Dani who was currently attempting to allow Miles to twirl her.“You’re the one that started them on that American lingo, as I recall.”

Dani let her jaw drop in mock offense. The expression made Jamie’s laugh bust out like it had been waiting to escape. Blue eyes followed the sound and they trailed Jamie’s form before meeting her gaze. As the song came to an end, Sheryl Crow’s  _ I Shall Believe _ began to fade in. 

Jamie cricked her neck in a gesture for Dani to move closer. She twirled Flora, delighting the young girl and said, “Not a bad dancer for a gremlin.”

Flora merely giggled in response and ran to Owen. “You next!” she demanded as she wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him with glee. 

Hannah raised a brow, laughing good-naturedly. “I suppose my feet could use a rest.”

Miles, though, had other plans. “Ms. Grose, I was hoping you would honor me with a dance next.” He held out his hand in a gentlemanly offer and gave a slight bow. 

Hannah gave him a warm smile and her hand. “Very well, dear.”

In the meantime, Dani had returned to Jamie’s side, an arm wrapped around the slim waist of the gardener. “I’m really going to miss them,” Dani sighed. 

A corner of Jamie’s lips turned up in a small smile. “Well, uh, some good news on that front.”

Dani’s brow creased as she turned to face Jamie in silent question.

“Henry says they’ll be moving to America, after all. Says it’s time to move on from Bly. Too many ghosts.”

“What?” Dani asked with wide eyes, disbelief and earnest hope battling to display themselves in her expression. “America? Where? How? Why?”

Jamie rubbed the au pair’s arms up and down as she faced her with an amused smile. “Easy, Poppins. One question at a time.”

“Okay,” Dani agreed, attempting to remain calm. “Let’s start with where.”

“He hasn’t hammered out the details quite yet. Says he’s been talking to a few firms - places in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, D.C. - but he doesn’t see any reason he couldn’t work remotely from anywhere.”

“Wow, okay. The kids know?”

“Not yet. Henry doesn’t want to tell them until he knows more.”

Dani nodded, turning to watch the children as they danced with Owen and Hannah. “That’s three down, two to go, then.”

The gardener tried to control a laugh, but failed, which resulted in a snort. She pulled the au pair closer to her and began swaying to the music. “Determined to keep us all together, are you?”

“Owen can open a restaurant in New York, is all I’m saying. Or, you know, Montpelier.”

Jamie hummed as she kissed Dani’s shoulder. “We’ll see, love. Hannah said we shouldn’t be afraid of our lives moving forward, and I reckon she’s right. We’ll keep in touch with everyone one way or another. Meantime,” she pulled back to lock gazes with her wife, “I’m going to enjoy married life.”

Dani’s smile spread. Her cheeks were aching from such a common occurrence. “Just how do you plan to do that, Mrs. Taylor?”

“Ooh, is it too late to take your last name? Last person I knew who went by that name was my mum, and well, yikes.”

Dani grimaced. “Sorry. I was trying to be cute.”

With a chuckle, Jamie nuzzled Dani’s nose with her own. “Success, regardless, Poppins.”

“But um,” Dani averted her gaze, looking down a mite shly. “You could,” she said softly.

“Could what?”

“Take my name. If you want, I mean.”

“Right. Jamie Poppins it is, then.”

Dani rolled her eyes and leaned away, but Jamie held her close, disallowing escape. “You love it.”

Shaking her head, but grinning like a fool, Dani nodded. “I do.” 

***

Dani tip-toed in the kitchenette of the Airbnb Jamie and she were renting in Barcelona for their honeymoon, doing her best to quietly make a pot of tea. Now, was it tea leaves, water and milk in the kettle, and then the addition of sugar after the tea had brewed? That seemed right. She’d try that. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” asked a sleepy voice behind her. 

The au pair’s stomach gave a pleasant turn when two arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She closed her eyes and smiled as Jamie’s hands roamed, one crossing Dani’s front to massage a breast and the other travelling from her hip to her thigh, devilishly slow and firm. 

“Making tea?” Dani tried to say, but her words were barely audible amidst the small gasp she let out. She revelled in the casual intimacy that came with them truly being on their own. Turning in Jamie’s arms, she draped her own over the gardener’s shoulders as the other woman effectively pinned her against the counter. 

“Tea?” Jamie asked with a hint of incredulity, tipping her head at an angle so that her lips were hovering above Dani’s. “You sure about that, Poppins?”

Dani gave a small laugh. “Not really,” she admitted. 

“Right,” said Jamie, “this has gone on long enough. I suppose it’s my duty to show you how to make a proper cuppa now that we’re married. Come now. Turn around.”

Dani's expression became serious with concentration as she turned back to the tea. She nodded and followed Jamie’s directions, asking questions as Jamie began to make what she called a 'white without.’ Except, a few seconds in, Jamie started brushing her lips softly at Dani's ear. She took a lobe between her teeth and, well, maybe Dani could learn how to make tea some other day.

“How am I supposed to do this with your tongue in my ear?”

“Complaining?”

“Never.”

“Thank Christ,” Jamie said as she brushed Dani’s hair to one side. She rucked up Dani’s nightshirt, making Dani’s breath hitch when her arms wove around the au pair to each hold a breast. As she massaged them, she dotted kisses along Dani’s newly exposed shoulder and neck. Then all at once, she ran her hands down Dani’s stomach, to the inside of her thighs. 

Dani, in the meantime, was doing all that she could to remain standing. Her heart skipped a beat with every kiss that brushed against her skin and her lungs couldn’t seem to hold enough air. It was as if her body was determined to fall apart at the seams for Jamie, and Dani was far too occupied with the ecstasy of it to mind. 

Another ragged breath, and Jamie coaxed Dani to turn in her arms, to face her once more, and at last let their lips collide. And, just like that, it was like Dani could breathe again. Jamie had somehow become the very air she breathed all the while taking her breath away - a puzzle Dani had no intention of solving. 

At some point, Jamie had decided Dani was wearing too many clothes, ridding her of her nightshirt in what Dani had momentarily felt was a rude interruption of their kiss. A gentle grip on Dani’s wrist guided her hands away from Jamie’s waist so that the gardener could kiss her way down Dani’s middle until she was kneeling before her. Dani’s hands, aching to touch Jamie somewhere, to hold her somehow, wove themselves into Jamie’s curls as she whispered her wife’s name into the cold morning air.

Jamie hummed in question, her mouth otherwise affording Dani’s hipbone with attention. 

“I love you,” Dani answered. Simple as that.

Jamie paused to say the words back: “I love you, too, Poppins.”

“Marry me, then?” Dani said with a grin before Jamie’s tongue began to work, inching toward Dani’s center, but stopping just before it came to where Dani needed Jamie most. The heat of her breath made Dani shiver and she bit her lip to unsuccessfully stop an ingracious moan. 

“Too late for that,” Jamie said as she retreated to pepper kisses along the inside of Dani’s thigh. 

“We could renew our vows,” Dani suggested through another gasp as Jamie nipped at her hip. 

“I think, traditionally, there’s a bit of a waiting period on that, Poppins. Say...a week?”

Dani chuckled amidst her panting, her hands gripping Jamie’s hair harder of their own volition whenever Jamie ghosted her lips over a particularly sensitive spot. “Shame. I really enjoyed marrying you.”

Jamie hummed her ascent before at last diving in to the very center of Dani’s sex, effectively ending the conversation. Dani felt tension climbing as Jamie made her tongue flat and rocked it back and forth, the sensation something like molten lava against her. In merely a few moments, Dani gripped the edge of the counter, the heels of her palms pressing into it as her hips canted forward. Jamie hummed her approval and the vibration made Dani throw her head back. “Jamie,” she managed, “please.” 

And Jamie knew what she wanted, what she needed. She pressed harder into Dani with her tongue and quickened the pace. A digit teased at Dani’s entrance, and, finding Dani more than ready, slid inside. The movement was slow but firm at first, but rapidly came to match the pace of Jamie’s racing tongue. Dani couldn’t imagine feeling anything more pleasurable until Jamie added a second digit.  Her vision went dark. The pitch of her voice, as she moaned out Jamie’s name, climbed higher, until finally, she and the world collapsed at once. Jamie held her in place while Dani pleaded for her to never stop. 

And Jamie didn’t. Jamie would never. 

After an uncertain amount of time had passed, Dani felt her presence of mind return and she caressed Jamie’s jawline to indicate that she needed a break. 

The gardener rose, her fingertips slowly tracing her way up Dani’s body, followed by her mouth, until she stood before the au pair. She wrapped her arms around Dani’s waist, kissing her shoulder, her neck, then her jaw ever so gently. 

Dani let her head rest on Jamie’s shoulder as she caught her breath. “To think,” she began, chuckling at first and then outright giggling.

“What?” Jamie said, pulling back with a sympathetic smile. 

“They gave us a license to do that,” Dani laughed. 

Jamie snorted before she rolled her eyes and swatted Dani’s rear playfully. “I don’t exactly consider you heavy machinery, Poppins. I can operate you well enough without a license.”

“Still,” Dani pressed on, too amused to stop. “You have one.”

“As do you,” Jamie grinned on Dani’s lips. 

“Hmmm,” Dani hummed as her thumbs tucked themselves underneath the hem of Jamie’s shirt. “I suppose I should use it, then.”

“Reckon you could do, yeah.” The words said were a bit of a tease, but Jamie’s tone had shifted to something heavier. 

In answer, Dani’s grin faded. Her expression shifted to something hungrier and more determined before she pressed her lips to her wife’s. Her brows rose upon tasting herself there, but the reminder of what Jamie had been doing a few minutes ago made her realize how much she wanted to return the favor. She parted them only to lift Jamie’s shirt. She hitched one of Jamie’s legs around a hip, then the other. With her wife’s weight resting on her hips, she walked them over to the couch that came with an ocean view. Yet she only had eyes for the sight beneath her: Jamie, hair mussed from sleep and Dani’s own hands tangling themselves in her curls; her lips kissed to the point of being swollen; her eyes searching and dark. 

Jamie’s brows twitched together as she smiled sweetly up at Dani. “What is it, Poppins?”

“I really love you, you know,” Dani said, surprised to hear her voice shaking slightly. 

Jamie sat up to cup the au pair’s chin in her hands. “I do. And, I really love you, Poppins. Far too much, maybe. But, maybe that's all right.”

Dani felt herself melt as she hovered nearer. “What’s too much, anyway?”

“Haven’t the faintest,” Jamie smiled, drawing Dani further down into a kiss. “Though I wouldn’t hate it if you gave it the old college try.”

Dani giggled on her wife’s lips. “I can do that,” she said, before doing her very best. 

****

“Well, how is it?”

Jamie lifted one brow toward her phone’s screen at the question as she popped a mini pretzel in her mouth. “Need a little more, mate. How’s what?”

“Married life!” Owen said, scoffing as if it were obvious. 

“Oh,” she said with a gentle roll of her eyes and a smile. She looked toward Dani who was behind the counter, currently fussing with a bouquet for a customer that would be arriving to pick it up soon. “It’s good. Wonderful. Much the same, really, just...more.” 

“And the honeymoon? How was sunny Barcelona?”

Jamie tried not to let her mind wander, but…

_ “Jay,” Dani said breathlessly against her neck as Jamie teased her. “Please, more.” _

“Chm, good. Good. Fine. Yeah.” 

“Must’ve been better than fine,” he laughed. “You’re beet red.”

“Fuck you, mate.”

Owen barked out a laugh and apparently threw his phone amidst his fits. A few expletives later, he had his camera trained back on himself. He was still wearing a shit-eating grin that Jamie was hard pressed to forgive. 

“Are you two playing nice?” Dani asked with that teacher’s voice that downright made Jamie shiver. 

“Yes,” Jamie and Owen said at the same time. 

Dani laughed as she sat on Jamie’s lap. “Everything set?”

“Hannah has it all planned,” Owen affirmed. “We’ll be arriving the twenty-first and can stay a full week. I’ll need to be back at the restaurant for New Year’s Eve. One of our regulars has rented it out, full service.” 

“We’ll get you for Christmas, at least, then,” Dani smiled. “Can’t wait. Henry and the kids will be here, just after you, on the twenty-second.”

“We can’t wait either. There’s nothing more we wish for this Christmas than to be in your  _ presents. _ ”  


Dani turned to face Jamie. “Bad,” she said.

“So bad,” Jamie nodded in agreement, mirth dancing in her eyes.  


“Tough crowd. I feel downright  _ sleighed _ .” 

“Goodbye, Sharma,” said Jamie.

With a bow and one last chuckle, Owen waved. “It’s literally the season of giving. Don’t be  _ elfish _ .”

“Goodbye!” Jame said again and tapped her phone, ending the video call. She felt Dani bounce a little in her lap as she stifled her laughter. 

“So bad,” Dani whispered, but there was a smile in her voice. 

“The worst,” Jamie agreed as she looked up into Dani’s eyes, wearing a grin despite herself. 

Dani nuzzled her before dipping for a kiss. “Christmas in Vermont. Think it’ll snow?”

“Here’s hoping.”

“How hard does it have to snow for flights to be cancelled? Maybe they’ll have to stick around a little longer.”

“Poppins,” Jamie chastised with amusement. 

“That’s Mrs. Poppins to you.”

“Right,” Jamie said, smacking herself in the forehead gently. “Apologies,  _ Mrs. _ Poppins.” 

Dani decided to forgive her with a grinning kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaay, marital bliss!  
> Thank you so much for reading, especially if you made it to the end! Every hit, kudos, and comment kept me going.  
> I've decided to end it here, but may add epilogues or otherwise play with this AU in separate one shots.
> 
> Kudos and comments fill my heart and soul!  
> Like, think of that look Dani gives Jamie when Jamie says one day at a time is fine by her. That's how I feel when you wonderful people comment.


End file.
